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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Arciiive 

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http://www.archive.org/details/farmappliancesprOOmartrich 


FARM   APPLIANCES 


A  PRACTICAL     MANUAL. 


EDITED  BY 

GEOKGE    A.    MARTIN. 


NEARLY  TWO  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  ILLUSTRA.TIONS. 


NEW    YORK: 

0.   JUDD    CO.,   DAVID    W.   JUDD,   Preset. 

751    BROADWAY. 

1888. 


Entered,  accoroing  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1887,  by  the 

O.   JUDD    CO., 

in  the  OfQce  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Inventive  talent  has  completely  revolutionized  the 
processes  of  farming.  The  work  which  required  the 
labor  of  many,  under  primitive  methods,  is  now  better 
done  by  one  person  with  the  aid  of  improved  appliances. 
To  explain  and  illustrate  some  of  the  most  practical 
and  easily  made  appliances  is  the  object  of  this  volume. 
They  are  such  as  secure  greater  comfort  to  domestic 
animals,  provide  supplies  of  wholesome  water,  economize 
labor  and  assist  in  dispatching  much  of  the  important 
work  on  the  farm.  The  hints  and  suggestions  herein 
contained  are  the  result  of  practical  experience.  It  is 
believed  that  every  farmer,  gardener,  householder,  in 
fact  every  one  interested  in  labor-saving  contrivances, 
will  find  very  much  of  interest  and  value  in  this  volume. 


(3) 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


Chapter  I. 
Racks,  Mangers,  Stanchions  and  Troughs 7-  34 

Racks  and  Feed-Boxes  for  Horses ;  Covered  Horse 
ManG:er  ;  Feedmg  Trough  and  Hay-Shute  ;  Device  for 
Box-Stall ;  Feed  "^Box  for  Extra  Stall ;  Various  Cattle 
Stanchions  ;  Feeding  Crib  for  Pork  Producing  Sections  ; 
Sheep-Rack  and  Feed-Box  ;  A  Barrel  Rack ;  Improve- 
ments in  Pig  Troughs ;  A  Plank  Trough  ;  A  Protected 
Trough  ;  Troughs  for  the  Pasture  ;  Improved  Gram  Bm ; 
Straw  Baler  ;  Watering  Troughs  for  Stock ;  A  Guarded 
Horse  Trough ;  Box  for  Watering  PaHs ;  Home-Made 
Heating  Vat. 

Chapter  II. 

Vehicles,  Rollers,  Harrows  and  Markers. -. - 35-  56 

A  Cart  for  Breaking  Colts  ;  A  Home-Made  Cart  ;  Ap- 
paratus for  Lifting  a  Wagon-Body ;  Jack  for  Wagon 
Box ;  Serviceable  Wagon  Jacks ;  Adjustable  Wagon 
Seat ;  Lubricating  Axles  ;  A  Light  Sleigh  or  "  Jumper"; 
A  Substantial  Sled ;  A  Dump  Sled ;  A  Triple  Land 
Roller;  A  Cheaper  Triple  Roller;  A  Double  Land 
Roller  ;  Stalk  Leveler ;  Useful  Clod  Crusher ;  A  Brush 
Harrow  ;  An  Improved  Harrow  Frame  ;  Land  Markers ; 
Combined  Marker  and  Clod-Crusher  ;  A  Land  Leveler. 

Chapter  III. 
Small  Tools  and  Appliances 57-  83 

Bag  Holders  ;  Handling  Potatoes  ;  Grindstones  and 
Frames  ;  Tool  Holder ;  How  to  Repair  a  Grindstone  ;  A 
Wooden  Manger  Fork ;  Home-Made  and  Useful  Chaff 
Forks;  Stable  Scraper  and  Broom-  A  Straw  or  Hay 
Hook  ;  Fork  for  Handling  Stones  ;  Salt  Box  for  Stock  ; 
Safety  Single-Tree  ;  Root  Pulpers  and  Cutters ;  Root 
Washers  ;  "Clamps  and  Stool  for  Repairing  Harness  ;  A 
Box  Saw-Horse  ;  Long  Saw-Bucks  ;  How  to  Tie  a  Bag; 
A  Home-Made  Rake  Head ;  Working  Building  Stone  ; 
Block  for  Sand-Paper. 

Chapter  IV. 

Appliances  for  the  Bam,  Pasture  and  Dairy 83-97 

Convenient  Stable  Ventilator  ;  Light  needed  in  Bams  ; 
Lanterns  in  the  Barn  ;  Safety  Stick  for  Mare's  Halter  ; 
To  Keep  a  Horse  from  Jumpinc: ;  Coupling  Horses  in 
the  Pasture ;  A  Simple  Tether ;  Chain  Cattle  Tie  ;  An 
Unpatented  Calf-Feeder  ;  Two  Khids  of  Milking  Stools ; 
Vat  for  Deep-Setting  Milk;  Home-Made  Butter  Worker ; 
A  Convenience  for  Fly  Time ;  Reins  for  Driving  Oxen  ; 
Vat  for  Dipping  Sheep ;  Sheep-Shearing  Bench  ;  Ear 
Ta^  Punch  for  Marking  Animals  ;  Sewing  up  Wounds  in 
Animals. 


(^) 


VI  TABLE  OF  GONTEKTS. 

Chaptee  V. 

Wells,  Pumps,  Cistenis  and  Filters 97-121 

Windlass  and  Tilting  Bucket ;  Well-Curb  or  Staves  ; 
Hemlock  for  Well-Curbs ;  Securing  the  Well-Bucket ; 
Curb  with  a  Bucket  Shelf  ;  Covered  Well-Curbs  ;  Im- 
pure Water  in  Wells  ;  Hook  for  Cleaning  Wells  ;  A 
Non-Freezmg  Pump  :  Agitation  of  Air  in  Wells  ;  Deep- 
ening Wells  ;  Digging  a  Well ;  How  to  Build  a  Cistera  ; 
Water  in  the  Barnyard  ;  Wooden  Water  Pipes  ;  Filters 
for  Family  Use  ;  Connecting  Cisterns  ;  Build  and  Dimen- 
sion of  Cisterns  ;  Cisterns  with  Filters. 

Chapter  VI. 
Appliances  for  Handling  Hay  and  Cora  Fodder. : 121-143 

Revolving  Horse  Rake  ;  Care  of  Mowing  Machines ; 
Sweep  for  Gathering  Hay  ;  Hauling  Hay  or  Stalks  ;  Der- 
rick for  Stacking ;  Hay  Carrier  for  Horse  Fork  ;  Hay 
Barracks ;  Supports  for  Stacks ;  Home-Made  Hay 
Press ;  Twisting  Hay  and  Straw ;  Standard  for  Corn 
Shocks  ;  Ventilator  for  Stacks  ;  Bench  for  Husking  ; 
Cora-Stalk  Band  ;  Convenient  Fodder  Carrier. 

Chapter  VII. 
Stump-Pullers,  Derricks  and   Slings. 144-15i 

Stump-Pullers  ;  Derricks  for  Farm  Use  ;  Slings  for 
Hoisting  Heavy  Objects ;  Derrick  for  a  Cellar ;  Lever 
Apparatus  for  Lifting  ;  A  Home-Made  Horse-Power. 

Chapter  VIII. 
Preparing  and  Handling  Fertilizers 154-165 

Hauling  Barnyard  Manure  ;  Implement  for  Fining 
Manure  ;  Muck  and  Peat ;  How  to  Burn  Lime ;  Value 
of  Gas  Lime ;  Burning  Clay  and  Sods ;  Converting 
Straw  into  Manure ;  Manui-e  fiom  Marl  aBd  Shells : 
Making  Fertilizer  from  Bones. 

Chapter  IX. 

Appliances  for  the  Garden  and  Orchard  - 165-184 , 

Paper  Plant  Protector  ;  Muslin-Covered  Plant  Screen  ; 
Protected  Plant  Label ;  Poles  for  Beans  and  other 
Climbers ;  Potting  Strawbeny  Plants  ;  Stand  for  Ben-y 
Baskets  ;  Tube  for  Watering  Plants ;  Movable  Trellis 
for  Grapes  ;  Tool  for  Cutting  Edgings  ;  Substitute  for 
Pea  Brush  ;  Trellis  for  Tomatoes ;  Tools  for  Killing 
W^eeds  ;  Various  Fruit  Pickers  ;  Frait  Ladders  ;  Japan- 
ese Pruning  Saw  ;  Rabbits  and  Mice  in  the  Orchard ; 
Implements  Used  in  Cranberry  Culture. 

Chapter  X. 

Appliances  for  Slaughtering  Hogs  and  Curing  the  Meat 184-198 

Sticking  Hogs  ;  A  Better  Way ;  Heating  the  Water 
for  Scalding ;  Scalding  Tubs  and  Vats  ;  Hanging  and 
Cleaning  the  Hogs  ;  Packing  Pork ;  Box  for  Salting 
Meats  ;  Making  Sausages  ;  Smoking  the  Meat ;  Cheap 
Temporary  Smoke-House, 


farmTppliances 


CHAPTER   I. 
RACKS,    MANGERS,    STANCHIONS    AND    TROUGHS. 

RACKS  AND  FEED  BOXES  FOR  HORSES. 

There  are  various  forms  of  racks,  mangers  and  feed- 
boxes  for  horses.     One  of  the  worst  devices  is  the  old- 


Fig.  1.— FEEDING  RACK  FOR  HORSES. 

fashioned  hay-rack,  extending  from  the  manger  high 
above  the  head  of  the  horses,  which  are  compelled  to 
reach  up  for  their  hay.  This  is  a  most  unnatural  posi- 
tion for  a  horse,  which  does  not,  when  out  of  the 
stable,  take  its  food  like  a  giraffe  from  trees,  but 
from  the  ground.  Aside  from  this,  a  high  rack  causes 
the  double  peril  of  getting  dust  into  the  lungs  and  other 
objects  into   the  eyes   of   the   horses.     The   above   eu- 

(7) 


8 


FARM   APPLIAT^CES. 


graving  shows  an  arrangement  for  hay  and  cut  feed,  or 
dry  grain,  which  prevents  waste,  and  is  very  convenient 
for  the  horse  and  its  owner.  The  manger  extends  across 
the  whole  stall  (a  single  one)  and  is  reached  through  a 
falling  door  in  the  feeding  passage.  The  hay  box  goes 
to  the  bottom,  and  has  a  barred  door,  through  which  the 
waste  chaff  may  be  removed,  if  it  does  not  work  out.  The 
feed-box  is  protected  by  a  barred  cover,  made  of  half-inch 
round  iron,  having  spaces  through  which  the  horse  can 
feed;  but  the  bars  prevent  him  from  throwing  out  the 
feed  or  grain,  in  the  attempt  to  pick  out  the  best.  The 
halter  is  run  through  a  hole  in  the  top  of  the  manger,  or 
a  ring  bolt  in  the  side  of  the  stall,  and  has  a  block  of 
wood  at  the  end,  by  the  weight  of  which  it  is  kept  drawn 
tight,  leaving  no  slack  for  the  horse  to  get  entangled 
with.  When  the  horses  are  fed,  the  feeding  door  is  shut 
and  fastened  by  a  button. 


COVERED   HORSE   MANGER. 

Horses  will  get  their  heads  to  the  bottom  of  the  hay 


Fig.  2.— IMPROVED  HORSE  MANGER. 

manger  if  they  can,  and  will  often  throw  the  hay  out, 
if  not  prevented.     The  illustration,  figure  2,  is  taken 


RACKS,    MAKGERS,    STANCHION^S,    ETC.  J 

from  a  stable,  in  which  such  annoyance  is  easily  and 
simply  prevented.  A  rack  of  iron  rods,  or  of  wood,  is 
made  and  hinged  to  the  top  of  the  manger  in  front,  so 
that  it  may  be  thrown  up  and  over  the  front  when  the 
manger  is  filled,  and  then  turned  down  upon  the  hay. 
The  bars  or  rods  are  just  far  enough  apart  for  the  horse 
to  get  his  nose  through  to  the  hay,  but  of  course,  he  can- 
not get  his  head  through.  Iron  is  better  than  wood,  be- 
cause the  horse  cannot  gnaw  upon  it.  The  bottom  of 
every  manger  should  be  slatted,  to  let  the  hay  seed  and 
dust  fall  through — thus  averting  a  frequent  source  of 
cough  and  heaves  in  horses. 


FEEDING     TROUGH    AND    HAY    SHUTE. 

To  prevent  waste  of  grain  and  hay,  the  trough  and  hay 
manger  may  be  made  as  shown  in  the  engravings  here 


Fig.  3.— FEED  BOX  FOR  OATS.  Fig.  4.— HAT  FEED  BOX. 

given.  The  grain  box  (figure  3)  is  fixed  in  the  front  of 
the  stall,  a  part  of  it  projecting  through  the  partition, 
into  the  feed  passage,  where  there  is  a  lifting  hinged 
cover,     The  trough,  of  course,  opens  into  the  stall     la 


10  FARM  APPLIANCES. 

the  center  of  the  trough  there  is  an  upright  division, 
open  only  for  an  inch  or  two,  through  which  the  grain 
or  meal  slides  down  little  hy  little  into  the  front  division. 
The  hay  shute  is  shown  at  figure  4.  It  comes  from 
the  floor  above,  where  it  has  a  hinged  cover,  which,  if  de- 
sired, is  left  open  for  ventilation.  It  increases  in  width 
downwards,  to  prevent  the  hay  from  lodging.  The  front 
is  provided  with  small  iron  bars,  to  prevent  the  horse 
from  pulling  out  the  hay  and  thus  causing  loss.  The 
bottom  should  be  slatted,  to  allow  the  escape  of  dust. 


DEVICE   FOR   BOX  STALL. 

For  valuable  animals  it  is  best  to  have  loose  box-stalls. 
A  range  of  such  stalls  can  be  built  very  cheaply,  and  as 


Fig.  5. — FEED  BOX  AND  HAT  RACK  IN  BOX  STALL. 

the  occupants  need  not  be  fastened,  they  can  be  quickly 
let  out  of  the  building  in  case  of  fire.  The  feeding 
arrangement  for  such  stalls  is  shown  at  figure  5.  It 
consists  of  a  hay-rack  in  the  corner,  with  a  feed  box  near 
it.  At  the  front  of  the  feed  box  there  is  a  falling  door 
in  the  partition,  through  which,  when  it  is  half  let  down 
in  a  sloping  position,  the  feed  of  grain,  or  the  cut  feed, 
may  be  placed  in  the  box.  The  same  arrangement  may 
be  used  for  the  hay-rack,  if  the  front  is  boarded  up  to 
the  top  ;  but  if  it  is  boarded  only  for  five  feet,  the  hay 
may  be  lifted  over  the  top  of  it  from  the  feeding  passage. 


KACKo,    MAKGEES,    STANCHIONS,    ETC.  11 


FEED-BOX   FOR  EXTRA    STALL. 

There  are  times  when  the  arrival  of  friends  or  other 
event  calls  for  an  extra  stall.  To  provide  for  such 
emergencies,  a  feed  box,  and  the  way  to  use  it,  are  shown 
in  the  engravings,  figures  6  and  7.  The  trough, 
figure  6,  is  useful  anywhere,  it  being  a  ^'  fence  trough" 
or  feed  box.  Upright  pieces  with  mortises  are  made 
of  inch  stuff,  and  nailed  on  each  side  of  the  passage-way. 
Two  by  three-inch  bars  are  used,  entering  into  mortises 
on  one  side  and  dropping  into  slots  on  the  other,  the 
middle  bar  being  keyed  in.     The  upper  bar  is  kept  in 


Fig.  6. — ^FENCE  FEED  BOX, 

place  by  a  swinging  key  put  on  the  partition  with  a  stout 
screw,  and  given  a  little  play,  so  that  it  will  drop  by  its 
own  weight  into  its  proper  position.  Tlie  feed  box  is 
made  as  in  figure  6,  with  elongated  sides  extending 
through  and  beyond  the  rails  or  bars,  with  notches  to  re- 
ceive the  bars  as  indicated,  made  by  nailing  the  pieces  at 
the  extreme  ends  across  from  side  to  side,  as  shown. 
The  box  being  put  on  the  lowest  bar,  close  to  the  end  of 
it,  and  the  middle  bar  being  placed  in  position  and  keyed, 


12 


FARM  APPLIANCES. 


secures  it.     When  the  box  is  not  in  use,  it  is  kept  in  the 
harness  closet  with  the  two  lower  bars.     The  top  bar  is 


Fig.  7. — STALL  m  PASSAGE-WAT. 

generally  left  in  place,  to  prevent  horses,  that  might  get 
loose,  going  into  the  carriage  house. 


VARIOUS  CATTLE  STANCHIONS. 

In  the  engraving  figure  8,  one  of  the  stanchions  is 
shown  open,  and  the  other  two  closed.  The  pieces  d,  e, 
/,  g,  and  h,  are  immovable,  a,  i,  c,  being  the  movable 
stanchions.  The  device  consists  of  three  strips,  two 
inches  wide,  and  three  quarter  inch  thick,  fastened  to 
one  upright  piece  by  means  of  two  bolts,  d  and  h;  the 
length  of  the  strip  is  regulated  by  the  distance  between 
the  stanchions.     Bolts  ^re  also  used  at  a  and  c^  the  bolt 


RACKS,    MAKGERS,    STAi^^CHIONS,   ETC. 


13 


at  c  passing  through  a  small  block,  two  inches  thick, 
which  assists  in  moving  the  upright  piece.  A  similar 
block,  e,  is  also  placed  on  the  movable  stanchion,  upon 
which  the  block  at  c  rests  when  the  stanchion  is  closed. 
The  fastening/,  and  the  piece  c,  are  so  arranged  as  to 
fall  in  place  at  the  same  time.  It  will  be  seen  that  the 
animal  not  only  fastens  herself  in  place,  but  she  is  doubly 
secured  by  the  pieces  /  and  c.  (The  block  at  e  may 
be  omitted  if  desired,  and  the  device  be  used  with  the 


Fig.  8. — SELF-CLOSING  CATTLE  STANCHION. 

fastening/ only).  A  badly  hooked  cow  is  often  the  re- 
sult of  careless  hired  men,  and  such  carelessness  is  obvi- 
ated by  the  use  of  the  above  arrangement.  A  cow  takes 
her  place  in  the  open  stanchion,  and  in  trying  to  get  at 
the  feed  below,  presses  against  the  lever  a,  brings  c  to 
place,  and  closes  the  stanchion. 

The  engraving,  figure  9,  shows  how  every  farmer 
who  uses  stanchions  can  arrange  to  close  all  the  cows  in 
at  the  same  time.  The  two-inch  strip  g,  is  planed  on  all 
sides,  and  made  to  move  easily  in  the  loops  e,  d,  which 
are  of  heavy  galvanized  iron,  bent  below  so  as  to  allow 
the  strip  to  slide,  and  are  attached  to  the  immovable 
stanchions  by  screws.  The  hard  wood  pins  a,  J,  c,  ex- 
tend about  two  inches  through,  so  as  to  catch  the  mova- 
ble stanchions.  A  lever  is  fixed  at  li,  and  attached  to  the 
movable  strip.     This  device  is  comparatively  inexpensive. 


14 


FARM  APPLIAKCES. 


and  can  be  attached  to  all  kinds  of  movable  stanchions, 
generally  used  for  fastening  cows.  Even  after  it  is  put 
on  the  stanchions,  it  need  not  be  used  unless  desired.  It 
has  the  advantage  in  being  separate  from  every  stanchion. 
One,  two,  or  more  animals  may  be  closed  in  by  hand  and 
the  balance  with  this  device.     It  in  no  way  interferes 


Fig.  9.— DEVICE  FOR  CLOSING  CATTLE  STANCHIONS. 

with  the  necks  of  the  cows,  and  saves  a  great  many  steps. 
If  a  person  reaches  over  in  front  of  the  cows,  to  close 
them  in  by  hand,  he  is  in  danger  of  being  struck  in  the 
face  with  a  horn.  The  above  device  removes  .this  dan- 
ger.    It  is  simple  and  cheap. 

The  use  of  permanent  neck-chains,  locked  on  around 
the  necks  of  breeding  animals  and  young  blooded  stock, 
affords  an  excellent  means  of  fastening  the  animals  in 
their  stalls.  A  chain  and  snap  are  attached  to  the  stall, 
by  which,  the  snap  being  caught  into  the  ring  of  the 
neck  chain,  the  animals  are  fastened.  A  better  way  is 
shown  in  the  accompanying  sketch  of  a  cow  stable.  Two 
round  stanchions  are  placed  three  feet  apart  for  each 
stall,  and  are  the  only  indications  of  subdivisions  or 
stalls  in  the  stable.     A  chain  about  eighteen  inches  long 


IIACKS,    MANGERS,    STANCHIOKS,    ETC.  15 

having  a  snap  at  one  end,  is  attached  by  a  ring  to  each 
stanchion.  Both  chains  are  made  fast  to  the  ring  in  the 
'^  necklace,"  and  should  have  very  little  slack.  If  the 
stanchions  are  of  hard  wood,  and  smooth,  the  rings  will 
slide  easily  up  and  down,  but  should  not  come  within  a 


Fig.  10.— CHAIN  CATTLE  STANCHION. 

foot  of  the  floor.  The  cows  will  have  free  motion  of  the 
head  to  either  side,  can  lie  down  and  get  up  easily,  but 
have  very  little  motion  forward  and  back,  hence  will 
keep  on  the  platform  and  keep  clean.  They  are  besides 
kept  perfectly  devoted  each  to  her  own  aifairs,  as  she 
cannot  reach  over  to  either  neighbor,  to  quarrel  or  to 
steal  her  forage. 

The  chief  objection  to  the  stanchion  comes  from  its 
rigidity  and  vice-like  grip,  and  any  improvement  in  it 
should  be  in  the  direction  of  comfort  to  the  animal,  rath- 
er than  in  handier  ways  of  fastening.  The  accompany- 
ing engraving  shows  how  the  rigid  plan  of  the  neck 
latches  can  be  in  part  avoided.     The  greatest  discomfort 


16 


FARM  APPLlAKCES. 


to  stock,  when  stanchioned,  comes  when  lying  down. 
When  standing,  there  is  freedom  of  movement,  but  when 
the  animal  is  down  and  attempts  to  rise,  it  is  held  fast. 
Stanchions  made  as  here  shown,  avoid  this.  The  neck- 
latches  a,  J)y  are  not  fastened  at  the  bottom,  but  pass 
through  the  side  block  c,  which  rests  on  the  lower  stringer. 
By  making  this  side  block  about  eight  inches  shorter 
than  the  space  between  the  uprights  d  and  c,  a  swinging 
motion  is  obtained  that  gives  considerable  freedom.  The 
bolt  through  the  neck  latch  a,  in  the  upper  stringer, 


Fig.  11.— STANCHION  FOE  DAIRY  COWS. 

should  not  be  screwed  up  snug,  but  leave  the  latch  a 
chance  to  play.  It  is  usually  the  plan  to  set  stanchions 
in  a  perpendicular  position,  and  if  the  upper  stringer  is 
pitched  over  against  the  manger  about  eight  inches,  a 
great  gain  is  made  in  the  ease  afforded  the  animal  when 
it  gets  up,  as  its  shoulder  by  this  plan  does  not  strike 
squarely  against  the  latches,  and  avoids  the  necessity  of 
"hitching  back,"  to  clear  the  stanchions,  and  thus  pre- 
vents the  extra  strain  and  exertion  often  noticed  in  per- 
fectly rigid,  and  upright  stanchions. 


HACKS,    MA.KGERS,    STAKCHIOKS,   ETC.  17 

FEEDII^G   CRIB    FOR   PORK-PRODUCING   SECTIONS. 

To  construct  the  crib  shown  in  the  illustration,  four 
forked  posts  are  set  in  the  ground  at  the  corners  of  a 
nine  foot  square.  In  the  forks  are  placed  stout  poles 
and  on  these  are  laid  the  floor  and  is  built  the  crib.  The 
posts  make  the  pen  high  enough  for  the  swine  to  pass 
under  it ;  hence,  any  corn  that  falls  through  it  is  eaten. 
The  feeding  floor  is  laid  under  and  around  the  pen.  In 
the  greatest  pork  producing  sections,  nearly  all  the  hogs 
are  fattened  from  October  1st  to  January  1st,  the  corn 


Fig.  12.— CKIB  FOB  FEEDma  LOT. 

being  fed  to  the  hogs  as  it  is  husked.  In  the  pen  shown 
fifty  to  one  hundred  bushels  can  be  thrown — enough  to 
feed  for  two  or  three  days — when  it  is  desired  to  do  other 
work.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  throw  the  corn  from  the 
crib  to  the  feeding  floor,  and  as  the  corn  will  never  re- 
main in  the  crib  longer  than  a  week,  no  roof  is  required. 
Set  the  posts  solidly  in  the  ground,  for  if  the  weight  of 
the  corn  should  cause  the  crib  to  fall,  it  would  kill  any 
fat  hogs  that 'might  be  under  it.  The  hogs  cannot  pos- 
sibly get  into  this  crib.  Rats  cannot  infest  it.  The  mate- 
rials exist  on  nearly  every  farm,  and  any  farmer  can  make 
this  crib  and  in  a  short  time. 


18  FARM   APPLTAKCES. 

SHEEP  RACK   AND   FEED-BOX. 

It  is  often  inconvenient  to  go  among  the  sheep  in  feed- 
ing them,  and  there  is  always  trouble  from  scattering 
hay  or  feed  about  the  enclosure  or  from  the  animals 
getting  out  by  the  open  doors  or  gates.  Figure  13 
shows  how  to  feed  from  outside.  The  boarding  of  the 
pen  for  about  eighteen  inches  in  width,  and  about  six 


Fig.  13.— FEED-BOX  FOR  SHEEP. 

inches  from  the  floor  is  removed,  leaving  the  bottom 
board  in  place.  Then  upright  slats  are  nailed  across  this 
aperture  inside  the  fold,  allowing  twenty  to  twenty-four 
inches  for  each  sheep.  The  slats  should  be  nailed  so  that 
an  opening  eight  inches  wide  is  left  in  the  centre  of  this 
space  for  the  sheep  to  thrust  their  heads  through.  If 
much  narrower  they  will  rub  the  wool  off  their  necks. 

A  tight  feed-box  with  flat  bottom  and  upright  sides  is 
made  of  boards,  and  placed  on  the  floor  outside  of  and 
against  the  slats,  and  fastened  in  place.  A  horizontal 
swing  door,  two  feet  wide  and  the  length  of  the  feed 
trough,  is  attached  with  hinges  to  the  outside  upper  edge 
of  the  feed  box.     Chains  keep  it  from  falling  below  a 


HACKS,    MANGERS,    STAKCHIOl^S,    ETC.  10 

proper  angle,  and  a  button  at  the  top  secures  it  when 
closed.  The  swing  door  will  keep  the  hay  always  in 
reach.  With  this  arrangement  one  can  feed  either  hay, 
turnips  or  grain  without  going  among  the  sheep,  distrib- 
uting it  much  more  easily  than  when  they  are  crowding 
round  him.  He  can  also  clean  out  the  rack  and  feed  box 
conveniently  from  the  outside.  The  sheep  cannot  crowd 
each  other  when  eating.  When  they  are  through  eating, 
or  when  the  rack  is  not  in  use,  it  may  be  closed  up,  shut- 
ting off  drafts  or  keeping  out  dogs.  It  is  desirable  to 
have  such  an  arrangement  open  under  ashed,  building  or 
other  protected  spot,  which  can  generally  be  provided. 
It  will  be  found  that  sheep  waste  much  less  fodder  and 
feed  than  when  fed  off  the  ground.  The  feed  trough  may 
be  changed  so  as  to  come  inside  the  fold,  and  the  rack 


Fig.  14. — BARREL  RACK. 

made  so  the  sheep  can  put  only  their  noses  through,  but 
it  makes  the  trough  inconvenient  to  reach,  and  will  tend 
to  increase  the  waste  of  hay  and  grain  in  feeding. 


A   BARREL    RACK. 


The  illustration,  figure  14,  shows  a  rack  for  feeding  hay 
or  straw  to  calves  or  sheep.     Procure  a  crockery  cask 


20 


FARM  Al'PLlANCEg. 


and  cut  two  thirds  of  the  staves,  making  holes  from 
which  the  feed  can  be  obtained.  If  calves  are  to  feed 
from  it,  the  lioles  are  made  slightly  larger  than  for  sheep. 
The  animals  feeding  from  this  rack  waste  no  food,  and 
the  strong  cannot  so  easily  drive  the  weak  from  it,  as 
from  the  ordinary  rack  or  manger.  Lambs  or  calves  are 
disposed  to  fight  over  their  food,  and  it  may  be  necessary 
to  drive  a  stake  about  a  foot  from  the  hogshead  and  op- 
posite the  whole  staves  ;  this  will  effectually  prevent  the 
weaker  ones  being  driven  from  their  feed.  The  rack  is 
easily  filled,  and  the  fodder,  hay  or  straw  may  be  fed 
from  it  without  waste ;  and  if  moistened  bran  or  meal 
are  mixed  with  it,  forming  a  complete  ration,  it  may  be 
fed  in  an  economical  manner,  and  be  easily  reached. 


IMPROVEMEKTS  IIT  PIG  TROUGHS. 

One  of  the  simplest  troughs  is  shown  in  figure  15.  The 
end  pieces  may  be  as  long  on  one  side  as  on  the  other,  or 


Hg.  15.— SIMPLE  PIG  TBOUGH. 

long  on  one  side  and  shorter  on  the  other,  so  that  the 
pigs  cannot  turn  the  trough  over.  They  may  have  cross- 
pieces  fastened  in  strongly  every  two  feet,  to  make  it  less 
easy  for  the  pigs  to  stand  in  the  trough,  and  the  trough 
may  stand  in  the  open  lot  or  in  positions  near  the  fence. 
Where  the  hogs  are  confined  in  pens,  a  trough  is  set 
in  the  pen  as  shown  in  figure   16.     This  is  a  fixture, 


BACKS,    MAKGERS,    STAKCHIONS,    ETC. 


21 


must  be  strongly  made,  and  be  set  at  the  bottom,  on  a 
level  with  the  floor  of  the  pen.     A  pig  of  one  hundred 


Fig.  16. — TKOUGH  INSIDE   OF  PEN. 

pounds  weight  cannot  stand  in  the  trough;  the  latter  can 
be  cleaned  out  and  the  feed  can  be  put  into  it  from  the 


Fig.  17.— GOOD  FORM   OF  PIG  TROUGH. 

outside.     A  good  form  of  trough  is  shown  in  figure  17. 


22 


FARM   APPLIAI^CES. 


Here  the  swinging  shutter  keeps  the  pigs  away  from  the 
trough,  or  admits  them  to  it,  at  the  will  of  the  attendant, 
and  the  trough  may  be  conveniently  cleaned  out  or  filled, 
without  any  interference  by  the  ravenous  herd.  Figure 
18,  shows  an  improved  shutter  for  the  trough  last  de- 
scribed.    The  improvement  consists  of  strong  bent  irons 


Fig,   18.— IMPROVED  TROUGH  WITH  SHUTTER. 

securely  screwed  or  bolted  to  the  swinging  shutter  on  the 
inside  above  the  trough,  so  that  a  strong  pig  can  neither 
get  into  the  trough,  nor  push  others  away,  and  get  the 
lion's  share.  Assuming  that  ground,  soaked  or  cooked 
food  can  only  be  fed  out  of  troughs  with  advantage,  that 
pigs  will  eat  and  digest  well  a  great  deal  more  cooked 
food  than  they  will  raw,  and  that  the  more  food  a  pig 
eats  and  digests  the  more  profit  there  is  in  feeding  him, 
it  is  easy  to  see  the  importance  of  good  pig  troughs. 
The  engraving,  figure  19,  represents  a  good  trough  for 


Fig.  19. — DOUBLE  FEEDING  TROUGH  FOR  PIGS. 

pigs.     The  sides  of  the  trough  are  firmly  nailed  to  the 
end  boards.     An  upright  board,  which  runs  lengthwise 


RACKS,    MANGERS,    STAl^CHIOI^S,    ETC.  23 

of  the  trough,  divides  it  into  two  parts,  and  keeps  the 
pigs  from  getting  into  the  trough.  Strips,  four  inches 
wide,  nailed  to  the  edges  of  the  trough,  divide  the  length 
into  spaces  for  each  pig  to  feed  in,  and  prevent  one  pig 
from  crowding  the  next  one.  There  must  always  be 
more  spaces  provided  than  there  are  pigs  to  feed,  in  order 
to  avoid  fighting  among  the  animals.  These  troughs 
may  be  made  of  various  lengths,  according  to  the  num- 
ber of  pigs  to  be  fed. 


A   PLANK  TROUGH. 

The  common  V-shaped  trough,  as  ordinarily  construct- 
ed, is  a  short-lived  affair.  How  it  may  be  strengthened  and 
made  durable  is  shown  in  the  engraving,  figure  20.     The 


Fig.  SO. — DURABLE  TROUGH. 

trough  is  made  of  two-inch  pine  planks,  one  six  and  the 
other  eight  inches  wide,  the  end-pieces  two  inches  longer 
than  the  extreme  width  of  the  trough.  Side-pieces  of 
inch  pine  are  nailed  at  each  end,  with  the  upper  edge 
flush  and  level  with  the  top  edge  of  the  ends.  A  strip 
of  inch  pine  is  nailed  from  the  inside  edges  of  the  trough 
to  the  outside  edges  of  the  end-pieces.  When  the  upper 
strips  become  worn,  they  can  be  quickly  replaced,  and 
there  is  a  hog-trough  that  will  stand  very  rough  usage. 
The  trough  should  be  put  together  with  large  wood 
screws,  as  these  hold  better  than  nails.  Place  white  lead 
on  the  joints  before  fastening  the  trough  together,  to 


24 


FARM  APPLIANCES. 


prevent  leakage.  Good  tar,  applied  hot,  will  answer  the 
same  purpose.  Some  farmers  paint  the  entire  trough 
with  hot  pitch  or  tar,  which  acts  as  a  preservative. 


A  PROTECTED  TROUGH. 


Pouring  the  slop  into  a  trough,  with  forty  hogs  crowd- 
ing and  squealing  about,  is  behind  the  times.     When  the 


Fig.  21.— DEVICE  roR  feeding  hogs. 

slop  is  thrown  into  a  trough,  which  passes  through  the 
fence  to  that  from  which  the  hogs  drink,  the  stronger 
ones  will  crowd  together  at  the  conducting  trough  and 
get  most  of  the  slop.  And  about  every  other  day  a 
new  conducting  trough  must  be  made,  as  the  hogs  will 
break  it  up  in  crowding  for  the  slop.  If  it  is  made  to 
terminate  so  high  that  they  will  not  do  this,  when  the 
slop  is  poured  in,  the  biggest  hog  will  get  directly  under 
it,  and  the  slop,  striking  on  his  head  and  shoulders,  will 
be  deflected  off  to  the  ground.  These  evils  are  avoided 
by  having  a  separate  pen  for  the  trough,  filling  it,  and 
then  letting  the  hogs  in.     But  it  costs  something  to  have 


RACKS,    MANGERS, 


35 


an  extra  pen,  and  often  the  space  cannot  be  conveniently 
made  use  of. 

This  device,  shown  in  figure  21,  is  a  rack  or  screen, 
made  so  it  will  revolve  on  pins  driven  through  the  end- 
pieces  and  into  the  posts,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line. 
The  trough  should  be  just  long  enough  to  fit  in  between 
the  posts,  where  it  is  firmly  secured.  The  most  of  the 
trough  projects  into  the  hog-yard,  leaving  merely  enough 
projecting  on  the  other  side,  to  allow  of  the  slop  being 
poured  in  readily.  The  illustration  represents  the  frame 
as  it  is  when  the  pigs  are  feeding,  and  should  be  hooked 
into  place  until  they  are  through.  Before  pouring  m  the 
slop,  reverse  the  rack,  so  it  covers  the  trough,  the  extra 
weight  of  slats  on  the  hog-yard  side  keeping  it  in  place 
until  the  trough  is  filled,  when  the  rack  is  raised  and 
hooked  into  place,  giving  the  pigs  access  to  their  food. 


TROUGHS   FOR   THE   PASTURE. 


Figure  22,  shows  a  closing  trough,  nailed  against  a 
fence,  that  is  very  convenient  for  feeding  bran,  oats,  corn. 


Fig.  22. — FENCE   TROUGH.       , 

etc.,  to  cows,  calves,  sheep  and  horses.  The  bottom  is 
made  three  inches  wide,  and  the  outer  side  stands  away 
from  the  other,  both  being  set  on  the  bottom.  The  end 
pieces  of  the  trough  are  hinged  to  the  side  next  to  the 


26 


FARM  APPLIANCES. 


fence,  and  the  outer  side  is  hinged  at  the  bottom.  Strips 
of  leather  answer  for  hinges.  A  bolt,  or  strap,  passing 
through  the  trough  at  each  end  allows  the  outer  side  to 
come  back  just  enough  to  receive  the  end-pieces,  which 
are  held  in  place  by  a  pin  passed  through  a  hole  bored 
vertically  through  the  outer  comer  of  each,  and  down 
into  the  slanting  side.     To  fold  the  trough  up,  remove 


Fig.  23.— A  LOW  TROUGH. 

these  pins,  and  fold  the  end-pieces  inward,  bring  the 
outer  side  up  against  these,  and  secure  it  in  place  with  a 
strap.  This  trough  is  very  convenient  along  the  side  of 
a  shed,  as  it  can  be  folded  up  out  of  the  way.  Another 
closing  trough  is  shown  in  figure  23.  The  triangular 
end-pieces  are  held  in  place  by  cleats  on  each  side.     It  is 


Fig.  24.— CONVEIflENT  GRAIN  BIN. 

not  necessary  to  fasten  the  sides  together,  but  they  may 
be  hinged  at  the  bottom.     To  close  the  trough,  the  end- 


RACKS,    MANGERS,    STAKCHIONS,    ETC. 


27 


pieces  are  taken  out  and  laid  against  one  side,  while  the 
other  side  is  closed  against  them.  The  sides  are  kept 
from  spreading  apart,  when  the  trough  is  open,  by  the 
notches  cut  in  the  cross-pieces,  upon  which  the  trough 
rests.     These  cross-pieces  rest  upon  large  blocks. 


IMPROVED   GRAI]^  BIN^. 

A  very  convenient  grain -bin  is  illustrated  in  figure  24. 
The  lid  or  top  is  raised  as  usual ;  then,  when  desirable,  the 
front  top  board,  which  is  hinged  at  the  bottom,  and 
hooked  inside  at  the  top,  is  unlocked  and  let  down. 
This  gives  convenient  access  to  the  bin  both  in  filling  and 
in  emptying — enabling  one  to  take  out  the  last  remnants 
of  grain  or  meal. 


STRAW   BAXTER. 

Good,  clean  oat  straw  finds  a  ready  market  in  cities  for 
filling  beds,  and  other  purposes.     But  its  quality  and 


Fig.  25.— BOX  FOB  BALING  STRAW. 


texture  are  greatly  impaired  by  baling  in  powerful  hay 
presses,  and  it  is  much  better,  therefore,  put  up  by  the 
aid  of  a  hand  press,  which  preserves  the  fibre  of  the  straw 
unimpaired.     Figure  25  shows  the  box  and  the  method 


28 


FARM  APPLIA2irCES. 


of  construction.  The  binding  cords  are  laid  cross-wise 
of  the  box,  resting  upon  the  bottom,  as  seen  in  figure  25, 
and  the  ends  extending  through  the  notches,  B,  B,  B, 
as  shown  in  figure  26.     A  small  forkful  of  straw  is  then 


Fig.  26.— MODE   OF  ARRANGING  THE   CORD. 

placed  at  each  end,  and  one  in  the  middle,  and  so  on, 
until  the  box  is  filled  and  the  straw  packed  down  com- 
pactly. The  cords  are  then  brought  together  around  the 
bundle  and  securely  fastened. 


WATERING  TROUGHS   FOR  STOCK. 

A  good  substantial  water  trough  is  an  absolute  neces- 
sity on  every  farm,  and  we  here  give  illustrations  of  sev- 
eral useful  forms.  Figure  27  shows  one  made  of  planks 
or  boards.  The  sides  should  be  of  one  piece,  and  also 
the  ends  and  bottom  if  possible.  If  made  of  two  pieces 
each,  joint  the  edges  and  join  them  with  dowel  pins,  using 
the  best  white  lead  between  the  joints  before  driving  the 
pieces  together  snugly.  The  end  pieces  should  be  let  into 
the  sides  about  half  an  inch,  and  both  the  sides  and  ends 
should  be  slightly  sloping,  so  that  the  form  secures  free- 


RACKS,    MAXGERS,    STANCHlON^S,    ETC. 


29 


dom  from  danger  of  bursting  in  winter.  In  putting  to- 
gether, always  use  white  lead  on  the  joints.  Use  no 
nails,  but  draw  the  parts  together  with  stout  iron  rods, 
having  large  heads  on  one  end  and  screw  threads  on  the 


Fig.  27.— A  PLANK  WATER  TROUGH. 

other.  When  this  is  done,  make  the  bottom  edge  true, 
coat  well  with  white  lead  and  securely  fasten  on  with 
large  wood  screws.  Give  the  trough  a  couple  of  coats  of 
good  paint,  and  when  dry,  the  trough  is  ready  for  use. 
A  convenient  size  is  as  follows,  all  inside  measurements 
at  the  top  :  six  feet  long,  fourteen  to  sixteen  inches  wide 
and  twelve  inches  deep. 

This  form  of  trough  will  be  found  useful  where  water 
is  continually  running  from  water  logs,  and  is  designed  to 
prevent  freezing  and  overflow.     At  one  end,  as  in  figure 


Fig.  28.— WATERING  TROUGH. 

28,  a  board  is  fitted  across  the  trough,  and  goes  to 
within  about  one  inch  of  the  bottom.  The  water  must 
flow  under  this  to  reach  the  outlet.  This  portion  of  the 
trough  has  a  cover  with  a  hinge.     It  will  be  seen  that' 


30  MRM  APPLIAKCES. 

with  this  construction  no  straw  or  rubbish  can  get  into 
this  covered  portion  to  clog  the  outlet,  and  thus  cause 
overflow.  This  protection  is  usually  sufficient  in  the 
winter  to  prevent  the  outlet  from  freezing.  But  a  plug 
is  inserted  in  the  bottom  of  the  trough,  which  can  be 
taken  out  when  the  trough  needs  cleaning,  or  in  very  se- 
vere weather. 

Farmers  who  liave  never  used  a  covered  water  trough, 
and  who  have  not  been  able  to  keep  the  water  free  from 
leaves  and  mud  in  summer,  and  to  prevent  the  trough 


Fig.  29.— COVERED  WATEB  TR0U'5H. 

becoming  filled  with  snow  and  ice,  will  be  glad  of  the 
illustration  (figure  29)  of  a  covered  trough,  which  can 
be  used  on  both  sides.  It  should  stand  in  the  middle  of 
a  yard,  and  the  best  way  of  supplying  it  is  by  a  pipe  car- 
ried underground  from  a  pump.  It  is  supported  on 
crossed  posts  set  in  the  ground  and  pinned  together. 
The  trough  has  a  central  division,  upon  the  top  of 
which  the  covers  rest.  When  in  use,  the  covers  are  let 
down,  and  when  not  in  use  they  rest  upon  the  dividing 
plank,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  lines,  and  as  soon  as  the 
stock  is  watered,  the  plug  is  drawn  to  let  the  water  off. 
This  non-freezing  trough  should  be  made  two  feet 
deep,  eighteen  inches  wide,  and  fourteen  feet  long,  and 
constructed  out  of  two-inch  oak  plank.  Figure  30  is  a 
sectional  side  view  of  the  trough.  Over  it  is  fitted  a 
double  cover,  with  four-inch  space,  which  extends  to 
within  fourteen  inches  of  the  outer  end.     This  part  is 


RACKS,    MAKGERS,    STAKCHlOKS,    EtC. 


31 


covered  with  a  single  hinged  cover,  which  can  be  raised 
and  fastened  up.  The  trough  rests  on  the  ground,  and 
a  bank  of  earth  three  feet  wide  is  raised  around  it  even 


Fig.  30.— SECTIONAL  VIEW   OF   TROUGH. 

with  the  top.  At  the  open  end  of  the  trough  this  bank 
is  eighteen  inches  thick,  and  is  held  up  with  boards  as 
shown  in  figure  30.  Over  all,  except  the  open  end,  is 
placed  a  layer  of  chaff  a  foot  deep.  On  the  north,  west, 
and  south  of  the  well  and  trough  is  a  tight  board  fence, 
one   end   and   side  of  which  are   shown  in  figure  31. 


Fig.  31.— THE  THOUGH  AND   SUREOUNDINGS. 

Across  the  open  end,  just -back  of  the  opening  in  the 
trough,  barbed  wires  are  stretched  across  to  keep  stock 
off  the  well  and  trough.  Under  the  end  of  the  trough 
nearest  the  well  is  placed  a  drain,  made  of  fence  boards, 


32  E-AllM  Appliakces. 

leading  to  lower  ground.  Over  this  drain  is  a  hole  in  the 
bottom  of  the  trough,  closed  by  a  plug,  which  extends 
through  the  cover  as  seen  in  figure  30,  and  by  which 
the  trough  may  be  emptied  into  the  drain.  The  trough 
is  filled  in  the  morning,  and  the  natural  warmth  of  so 
much  water  having  so  small  a  surface  exposed,  prevents 
it  from  freezing  during  the  day,  even  in  the  coldest 
weather.  At  night  the  open  end  is  closed.  In  summer 
the  water  in  this  trough  is  always  cool,  and  vastly  supe- 
rior for  live  stock  to  that  standing  in  open  troughs. 


A  GUARDED  HORSE  TROUGH. 

Chickens  have  a  way  of  leaving  their  drinking  pens  and 
*' fountains,"  and  seeking  the  more  abundant  and  fresher 
water  of  the  horse  trough.     It  is  all  very  well  so  long  as 


Fig.  32. — FLOATESTG  BOARD  IN  HORSE  TROUGH. 

the  trough  is  overflowing,  but  when  the  water  is  low,  they 
lose  their  balance,  fall  in  and  drown.  Figure  32  shows  a 
board  which  floats  at  one  end  in  the  water,  and  rests  at 
the  other  upon  the  end  of  the  trough,  being  held  in  place 
by  a  twenty-penny  nail  driven  through  it.  The  board, 
being  two  inches  narrower  than  the  trough,  floats  freely, 
and  there  are  no  more  drowned  chickens,  for,  if  they  fall 
in,  they  can  get  out  again  unassisted. 


RACKS,    MAKGERS,   STANCHIONS,   ETC.  33 

BOX  FOR   WATERING   PAILS. 

Figure  33  shows  an  arrangement  for  keeping  the  pails 
used  for  watering  the  horse  and  cow,  assuming  that 
many  keep  but  one  or  two  cows  or  horses,  and  that  the 
water  is  carried  to  them,  from  being  filled  with  snow  in 
winter,  and  from  standing  in  the  hot  sun  in  the  summer. 
This  plan,  as  shown  in  the  illustration,  is  as  follows  : 
Have  a  box  standing  near  the  well  pump.     The  size 


Fig.  33.— BOX  FOB  WATERING  PAILS. 

of  the  box  for  a  single  pail  should  be  about  sixteen 
inches  square,  or  twenty  inches  would  be  no  disadvan- 
tage. Have  a  cover  fastened  on  with  either  leather  or 
stiap  hinges ;  the  latter  can  be  bought  cheaply  at  the 
hardware  store,  and  are  better  than  leather  ones.  For 
two  pails,  the  box  should  be  two  and  one-half  or  three 
feet  long.  In  this  way,  the  pails  are  always  in  place  and 
much  trouble  and  annoyance  is  avoided.  The  best  way 
to  arrange  the  cover  is,  to  have  a  strip  of  board  some  two 
or  three  inches  in  width  to  go  across  the  top  of  the  box, 
forming  part  of  the  covering,  to  which  the  hinges  can  be 
securely  fastened.     Use  a  smaller  box  in  the  hen-house. 


HOME-MADE  HEATING  VAT. 

Vats  or  tanks  with  wooden  sides  and  metallic  bottom, 
have  long  been  used  for  heating  and  evaporating  fluids. 
Figure   34  shows  an    improved  method  of    construe- 


34  J-AEM  APPLIANCES. 

tion,  which  gives  greater  strength  and  simplifies  the 
matter  of  securing  water-tight  joints.  The  sides  are  of 
pine,  two  inches  thick,  ten  inches  wide,  and  six  feet 
long.  The  lower  angles  are  rounded  off,  as  shown  in  the 
engraving.  Four  inches  from  each  end  grooves  are  cut 
half  an  inch  deep  and  two  inches  wide.  Into  these  are 
fitted  and  nailed  two  pieces  of  pine,  two  .by  eight  inches, 
and  twenty-five  inches  long.  They  are  flush  with  the 
top,  leaving  a  space  of  two  inches  at  the  bottom.  Two 
rods  of  half-inch  round  iron,  each  with  a  head  at  one 
end  and  a  screw-thread  and  bolt  at  the  other,  are  in- 
serted through  holes  made  for  the  purpose,  near  the  top 


Fig.  34.— VAT  FOR  HEATIXG  WATER. 

of  the  cross-pieces  and  screwed  firmly  in  place.  The 
bottom  is  of  galvanized  iron,  seven  feet  eight  inches  long 
and  twenty-eight  inches  wide.  This  is  fastened  by  a 
double  row  of  three-penny  nails  to  the  lower  edge  of  the 
side  pieces,  extending  around  the  curves  to  the  top.  If 
desired,  it  may  be  cut  long  enough  to  turn  over  at  the 
top,  and  nailed  to  the  upper  edge  of  the  wooden  cross- 
pieces.  This  would  give  sufficient  strength  without  the 
iron  brace-rods.  This  vat  is  set  upon  an  arch  of  brick  or 
stone  two  feet  wide,  so  that  the  wooden  sides  will  project 
over  it.  For  scalding  hogs,  a  scraping  bench  is  erected 
close  to  one  side  of  the  vat,  and  level  with  the  top. 


CHAPTER    II. 

VEHICLES,  ROLLERS,  HARROWS  AND  MARKERS. 

A  CAET  FOR  BREAKING   COLTS. 

Most  colts,  if  taken  young  enough,  and  gently,  though 
firmly  handled,  can  be  driven  as  soon  as  they  can  be 
made  to  know  what  is  wanted  of  them.  Now  and  then 
a  spirited  fellow  feels  his  oats,  or  is  very  nervous  about 
the  harness,  and  still  more  about  the  wagon,  or  cart,  and 
rears,  and  kicks,  and  pulls  side-ways,  trips  himself  up, 
and  goes  down  in  spite  our  best  efforts  to  prevent  it. 
For  such  a  good,  strong  breaking-rig  is  essential.  The 
cart,  figure  35,  is  home-made,  except  the  wheels;  for  these 
a  pair  of  strong  wagon  wheels — either  front  or  hind — 
will  do.  The  shafts  are  a  pair  of  seasoned  hickory  poles, 
extending  about  two  feet  behind  the  wheels.  They  are 
bolted  upon  the  axle-tree,  and  underneath  these  is  a 
lighter  pair  of  poles,  attached  to  the  shaft  in  front,  and 
bolted  also  to  the  axle-tree  by  the  same  clamps  that  are 
used  to  hold  the  shafts.  These  extend  back  as  braces, 
and  are  mortised  into  pieces,  which  are  themselves  mor- 
tised into  the  shaft-poles  near  the  end.  The  object  of 
this  arrangement  is  to  keep  a  colt  from  rearing.  The 
ends  of  these  pieces  will  bear  upon  the  ground,  the  mo- 
ment he  lifts  himself  up.  The  same  result  would  be  ac- 
complished by  having  the  poles  extend  far  out  behind, 
but  this  makes  turning  exceedingly  awkward,  so  that  rigs 
of  this  kind  can  only  be  comfortably  used  in  an  open  lot. 
The  box,  or  body  of  the  vehicle,  is  made  with  reference  to 
strength^  so  that  it  cannot  easily  be  kicked  to  pieces,  nor 
broken  by  overturning  or  being  run  away  with.  A  strong 
plank  is  bolted  to  the  poles  in  front ;  uprights,  and 
(35) 


36 


FAJtM  AiPPLiAl<rC^S. 


cross-boards  of  three-quarter-inch  spruce,  form  the  dash- 
board, which  is  well  braced.  The  back  and  seat  are 
Bimilarly  attached*     It  is  important  that  the  seat  should 


be  so  placed  that  the  driver  may  at  will  throw  his  full 
weight  forward,  to  bring  the  bearing  of  the  shafts  upon 
the  saddle,  or  backward,  to  lift  up  on  the  girth  or  belly- 


VEHICLES,    ROLLERS,    HARROWS   AKD   MARKERS.       37 

band.  The  harness  should  always  be  sufficiently  strong, 
and  before  using  the  breaking-cart,  the  colt  must  be  well 
harness-broken. 


A  HOME-MADE   CART. 

Figure  36  shows  a  serviceable  farm  cart,  which  can 
be  made  by  any  one  who  understands  the  use  of  a  saw  and 
hammer.  The  sides  of  the  box,  which  is  six  feet  long  and 
four  feet  wide,  are  of  plank  a  foot  wide,  the  bottom  of 
inch  boards ;  the  end-board  is  fastened  with  hooks,  so 
that  it  can  be  readily  removed  when  loading  the  cart. 


Fig.  36. — ^HOME-MADE  CAKT. 

The  wheels  are  those  of  an  old,  worn-out  reaper,  and  the 
axle  consists  of  a  piece  of  gas-pipe,  large  enough  to  fit  the 
hub  of  the  wheels.  Pins  put  in  holes  drilled  through  the 
ends  of  the  axle,  keep  the  wheels  in  their  places.  The 
axle  is  fastened  to  the  wagon  by  wooden  blocks,  hollowed 
out  to  proper  shape ;  these  blocks  are  firmly  screwed 
to  the  side-pieces.  The  thills  pass  through  the  front 
board  and  are  bolted  to  the  sides  of  the  box.  A  single- 
tree is  fastened  to  a  cross-piece  bolted  to  the  thills  close 
to  the  box.  Such  a  cart  is  very  convenient  on  every 
farm,  and  bein^  low,  it  is  easily  loaded. 


38 


FAEM   APPLIANCES. 


APPARATUS  FOR    LIFTING  A  WAGOK-BODY. 

To  lift  a  heavy  wagon-body  from  its  truck  is  tedious 
work,  if  to  be  done  by  main  force  only.  The  use  of  pul- 
leys facilitates  the  operation  materially,  but  not  as  much 
as  the  apparatus  shown  in  figure  37.  It  is  simple, 
Tery  convenient,  and  may  be  easily  made  by  any  farmer 
handy  with  tools.  J,  in  the  engraving,  is  a  wooden  rol- 
ler, about  three  inches  in  diameter,  and  resting  on  the 


Fig.  37.— APPIBATUS  FOR  HOISTING  A  WAGON-BODT. 

joists  a,  which  are  o^er  the  wagon  in  its  shed.  (?  is  a 
rope  which  winds  around  the  roller,  and  is  fastened  at 
its  lower  end  to  the  cross-piece  e.  Through  each  end 
of  the  cross-piece  passes  a  half -inch  round  iron  bar,  /, 
with  bar  on  top  of  e.  The  lower  ends  terminate  with 
square  bends  of  three  inches,  which  hook  under  the  box, 
and  when  turned  half  round  will  slip  off,  and  may 
be  hoisted  up  and  put  out  of  the  way.  The  handles,  c, 
are  four  feet  long  and  are  mortised  into  the  roller.  A 
in^n  or  boy  standing  on  the  ground  can  turn  the  handles 


VEHICLES,    KOLLERS,    HARROWS   AND   MARKERS.       39 

with  ease,  and  raise  the  box  from  its  bed  in  half  the  time 
four  men  could  do  it  by  hand. 


JACK   FOR   WAGON   BOX. 

A  cheap  method  of  removing  a  wagon  box  is  shown  in 
figure  38.  A  platform  to  receive  the  box  is  made  by 
driving  stout  stakes  into  the  ground  and  nailing  cross- 
pieces  to  them.  The  platform  should  be  as  high  as  the 
top  of  the  wagon  standards.  The  lifter  consists  of  a 
stout  piece  of  timber,  which  will  reach  two  feet  above 
the  wagon  box,  the  top  rounded,  and  a  pin,  driven  into  it, 
which  passes  through  a  slot  in  the  lever.  Two  chains,  pro- 
vided with  hooks,  are  fastened  at  the  short  end  of  the 
lever,  and  a  rope  at  the  other.     One  arm  of  the  lever  is 


Fig.  38.— JACK  FOB  WAGON  BOX. 

three  feet  long,  and  the  other  nine  feet.  The  wagon  is 
driven  close  against  the  side  of  the  platform.  The  lifter 
is  placed,  as  shown  in  the  engraving,  on  a  line  midway 
between  the  wagon  and  the  platform.  The  hooks  on 
the  end  of  the  chains  are  caught  under  the  box,  or  the 
rod  which  passes  through  the  rear  end  of  the  box,  and 
by  pulling  on  the  rope,  the  box  is  easily  lifted  out  and 
swung  around  on  the  platform.  Then  lift  the  front 
end  over.  •  The  jack  can  be  used  to  return  the  box  to  the 
wagon.  The  pieces  need  not  be  large,  and  when  made  of 
seasoned  wood^  the  jack  is  easily  handled. 


40 


FAEM  APPLIANCES. 


SERVICEABLE  WAGOiq--JACKS. 

Take  a  scantling  two  and  a  half  feet  long,  one  inch 
thick,  two  and  a  half  inches  wide;  rip  it  with  a  saw  from 
top,  to  within  five  or  six  inches  of  the  bottom,  like  a 


Fig.  39.— WAGON-JACK, 

tuning  fork,  figure  39.  One  prong  is  the  lever,  saw  the 
other  prong  off  at  top,  one  inch  higher  than  the  bottom 
of  the  hind  axle  ;  then  saw  it  off  at  the  shoulder  five  or 
six  inches  from  bottom  ;  fasten  it  on  again  with  a  hinge 
exactly  where  it  was  sawed  off,  and  it  is  ready  for  use. 


Fig.  40.— HOME-MADE  WAGON-JACK. 

Set  it  under  the  axle,  lowering  the  lever  enough  to  allow 
it  to  go  there  ;  then  raise  the  lever  past  the  balance, 
and  it  will  go  together  of  its  own  weight,  and  stay  there. 
At  the  left  of  the  engraving  it  is  seen  as  lowered,  at 


VEHICLES,    KOLLERS,    HARROWS   AN^D   MARKERS.      41 

the  right  as  raised.  This  jack  is  yery  cheaply  made, 
and  varies  in  dimensions  according  to  the  weights  to  be 
raised.  In  the  one  shown  in  figure  40,  the  lever  a 
is  made  of  one-inch  stuff,  and  the  post  h  and  the 
bearing-piece  c  of  two  and  a  half  by  two  and  a  half.  The 
latter  two  are  slotted  to  admit  of  the  lever  working  freely 
in  them.  The  bearing-piece  is  held  to  the  lever  with 
an  iron  or  a  wooden  pin,  a  little  behind  the  post  or  ful- 
crum, so  that  when  in  use  the  jack  will  support  the  wagon 
without  any  other  fastening. 


ADJUSTABLE   WAGOIS"   SEAT. 

A  six-inch  board  has  slots  cut  in  each  end,  so  as  to  go 
between  the  stakes  of  the  wagon. 
Another  board,  one  foot  wide  and 
three  feet  lo^,  is  fastened  to  the 
first  in  the  position  shown  in  the 
engraving,  figure  41.  An  old 
seat,  from  a  harvester  or  mower, 
is  fastened  upon  the  boards,  when 
an  easy  and  satisfactory  seat  is 
Fig.  41.— A  WAGON  SEAT,  provldcd  for  a  w  agon  when  in  use 
for  purposes  of  drawing  wood,  lumber,  etc. 


LUBRICATIKG  AXLES. 

Many  lubricate  axles  only  to  prevent  wear ;  they  over- 
look the  fact  that  by  reducing  the  friction  they  lessen  the 
draft.  A  well-oiled  axle  lightens  the  load.  Oil  to  axles 
is  best  governed  by  the  rule  of  "little  and  often."  If 
too  much  is  used  it  exudes  at  the  ends,  gathers  dust,  and 
thus  the  lessening  of  the  friction  is  not  so  great,  while 
oil  is  wasted,     In  nearly  every  case  where  the  lubricant 


42  FARM   APPLIAi^CES. 

is  wasted  it  is  because  it  is  stuff  not  fit  to  be  used,  for  a 
good  lubricator  costs  enough  to  keep  the  average  man 
from  allowing  it  to  waste.  Oil  that  ^^gums"  much  is 
unfit  to  be  used.  Castor  oil  is  a  splendid  lubricator  for 
axles,  but  used  alone  may  gum  too  much.  This  is  cor- 
rected by  the  addition  of  refined  coal-oil  (that  used  for 
lamps),  or  lard  ;  the  coal-oil  is  the  better.  Some  wagons 
are  yet  made  unprovided  with  metal  shields  or  "thim- 
bles," being  banded  with  steel ;  for  these  some  tallow  may 
be  used,  as  it  is  one  of  the  best  of  lubricants  when  iron 
and  wood  are  brought  together.  Pine- tar  is  a  good  addi- 
tion to  the  lubricant  for  wagon  axles,  and  is  a  part  of 
most  of  the  "  axle  greases  "  sold.  Plumbago  is  another 
good  addition  ;  its  fine  particles  fill  the  small  irregulari- 
ties in  the  opposing  surfaces,  thus  making  them  smooth- 
er. A  mixture  of  lard  and  plumbago  is  good  for  the 
journals  of  reapers,  mowers,  etc.  ;  we  have  found  castor 
oil  and  refined  coal  o^  also  good  for  this  use,  particularly 
for  use  on  the  *'  sickle-driver."  For  carriages  nothing  is 
better  than  castor  oil  and  a  very  little  lard  oil  or  refined 
coal  oil.  Lard  oil  alone  has  not  *'  body"  enough  for  the 
journals  of  reapers,  mowers,  etc. ;  add  a  little  castor  oil, 
or  tallow  or  plumbago.  While  the  axles  of  reapers,  grain- 
irills,  hay-rakes,  etc.,  will  not  need  lubricating  so  often 
during  the  year  as  the  axles  of  the  wagon,  oiling  them 
must  not  be  neglected,  as  the  rough  ground  the  wheels 
pass  over  makes  the  wear  on  unoiled  axles  quite  rapid. 
The  axles  of  corn-cultivators  require  frequent  lubricating. 
For  these  the  best  lubricants  are  those  recommended  for 
wagon  axles. 

A   LIGHT  SLEIGH   OR 

A  light  sleigh  may  be  made  of  hard-wood  poles  cut  and 
bent  into  shape,  a  few  bolts,  and  a  light  body  or  box. 
Figures  42  and  43^  made  from  sketches  of  a  recently 


VEHICLES,    ROLLERS,    HARROWS   AKD   MARKERS.       43 

constructed  '^  jumper,"  will  serve  as  a  guide  to  any  one 
who  wishes  to  provide  himself  a  light  sleigh  at  a  trifling 
cost.  Two  hickory  poles,  for  the  runners,  are  dressed 
down,  and  the  small  ends  bent  to  the  proper  curve  and 
fastened  until  they  will  retain  the  bent  shape.  The  posts 
are  mortised  into  these  runners  and  the  hench  pieces, 
which  latter  are  firmly  fastened  together^with  bolts.  The 
braces  and  their  positions  are  shown  in  the  engravings. 


Fig.  43. — REAR  VIEW  OF  JUMPER. 


A  floor  is  laid  upon  the  bench  pieces,  and  extends  beyond 
the  sides  of  the  -box  or  body.  The  box  may  be  plain  or 
ornamented  in  various  ways.  The  one  shown  in  the  en- 
graving has  the  sides  and  back  flaring.  The  shafts  are 
fastened  to  the  curved  end  of  the  runners  with  eye-bolts. 


A  SUBSTANTIAL  SLED. 


Figure  44  shows  a  sled  which  is  principally  used 
in  the  pineries  of  Michigan,  where  a  single  team  will 
draw  on  it  from  two  to  five  thousand  feet  of  lumber  in 
the  log.  Special  roads  are  kept  open  to  accommodate 
these  broad-track  sleds,  and  when  a  load  of  a  dozen  or 


u 


FARM   APPLIAIS"CES. 


more  logs  is  under  way,  it  would  be  perilous  for  any 
who  should  venture  to  block  the  road. 

Figure  14  shows  the  general  constraction  of  the  sled. 
The  bunks,  a,  a,  are  eight  by  ten  inches  and  ten  feet  in 
length;  the  sway  bars  J,  b,  are  four  by  four  inches  ;  the 
reach,  c,  is  ten  feet  between  the  bunks,  the  beams,  d,  d, 


Fig.  44.— MICHIGAlil  SLED. 

are  ten  by  twelve  inches,  and  the  track  is  four  feet  eight 
inches  long. 

The  particular  feature  of  this  sled  is  the  concaves,  x,x, 
made  in  the  beam,  F,  which  fit  two  convexes  in  the 
block,  E,  as  shown  in  figure  45.  These  taper  from  the 
top  to  the  bottom,  fitting  snugly  at  the  bottom,  and  open 
one-sixth  of  an  inch  on  each  side  at  the  top.     By  this 


Fig.  45. — SLED  RUNITBB. 

means  slight  play  is  allowed  to  the  runners,  which  eases 
the  motion  considerably  on  rough  ground.  A,  in  figure 
45,  shows  one  of  the  steel  shoes  which  are  four  by  five- 
eighth  inches;  the  runners,  B,  are  four  by  six  inches,  and 
four  feet  long  ;  the  blocks,  C,  are  four  by  twelve  inches, 
and  three  feet  in  length.  The  iron  plates  are  shown  at  D, 
the  bolts  at  C  j  the  beam,  which  is  ten  by  twelve  inches. 


VEHICLES,    ROLLERS,   HARROWS  AKB  MARKERS.       45 


A   DUMP-SLED. 


A  method  of  constructing  a  dump-sled  for  hauling 
manure,  earth  and  other  substances,  is  shown  in  fig- 
ure 46,  and  it  will  be  appreciated  by  many  northern 


Fig.  46.— A  SLED  ABRANGED  FOB  DUMPING. 

farmers.  The  front  bob  of  a  double  sled  has  the 
framework  raised  by  means  of  a  trestle,  and  upon  this  the 
box  is  secured  by  eye-bolts,  and  a  staple  and  pin. 


A  TRIPLE   LAN^D   ROLLER. 


A  great  objection  to  the  use  of  the  roller  is,  that  it 
tears  up  the  ground  for  a  considerable  space  when  it  is 
turned  around.  Another  is,  that  the  weight  of  the  tongue 
and  frame  bears  heavily  upon  the  necks  of  the  horses, 
and  often  causes  sores.  The  roller  shown  in  figure  47 
has  neither  of  these  objections.  It  is  made  in  three  sec- 
tions, and  the  hinder  section  balances  the  weight  of  the 
frame  and  tongue.  In  turning,  the  whole  implement 
moves  easily  with  the  side  roller  as  a  pivot,  and  avoids  all 
disturbance  of  the  soil.  The  center  roller  is  made  a 
little  longer  than  the  side  ones,  and  thus  secures  the 
complete  pulverization  of  the  soil.  Tlie  rollers  are  easily 
made,  either  of  solid  logs,  or  of  round  discs,  to  which 


46 


I^ARM  APPLIAKCES. 


narrow  bars  are  spiked.  The  best  roller  is  the  heaviest, 
and  cast  iron  is  the  best  material ;  although  much  cheap- 
er ones  may  be  made  of  artificial  stone  molded  in 
wooden  cylinders.  The  material  may  be  mixed  as  fol- 
lows :  One  barrel  of  good  hydraulic  cement  is  well  mixed 
dry  with  three  barrels  of  coarse,  sharp  sand.  A  sufficient 
quantity  of  the  mixed  cement  and  sand  for  one  section  is 
then  wetted  and  worked  up  into  a  thin  mortar,  and  is  at 
once  put  into  the  mold  ;  broken  stone,  first  wetted,  may 


Fig.  47.— A   TRIPLE  LAND  ROLLER. 

be  worked  into  the  center,  around  a  square  shaft  of  oak 
timber,  carefully  centered.  The  whole  is  well  rammed 
down,  and  more  is  added  and  rammed  as  it  is  put  in,  un- 
til the  mold  is  filled.  The  ends  of  the  roller  should  be 
of  clear  cement  and  sand  for  a  few  inches,  only  the  inte- 
rior being  filled  in  with  stone  for  the  sake  of  economy 
and  for  weight  as  well.  When  the  mass  is  dry  and  solid, 
the  mold  is  taken  apart.  Wing  gudgeons  are  fitted  into 
the  oak  shaft.  They  run  in  T^ooden  boxes,  bolted  to  the 
under  side  of  the  frame.  In  this  way  a  most  excellent 
and  useful  roller,  equal  to  a  cast  iron  one  and  quite  as 
durable,  may  be  made  for  a  cash  outlay  of  about  three 
dollars  only. 


VESICLES,    KOLLERS,    HARROWS  AKD  MARKERS.      47 
A   CHEAPER  TRIPLE   ROLLER. 

Figure  48  shows  a  much  simpler  form  of  triple  farm 
roller,  made  chiefly  of  wood.  It  is  in  three  sections, 
each  about  two  feet  long,  such  a  one  being  much 
easier  on  the  team  than  wlien  made  solid  or  in  merely 
two  sections.  A  good  oak  or  maple  log,  as  nearly  cylin- 
drical as  possible  for  ten  or  twelve  feet,  can  be  cut  in  the 
woods,  the  bark  peeled  off,  and  the  log  sunk  under  water 
for  several  weeks,  when  it  is  to  be  dried  out  under  cover. 


Fig.  48.— FABM  ROLLER. 

If  seasoned  with  the  bark  on,  the  worms  are  apt  to  work 
on  it.  Saw  off  the  pieces  the  required  length,  strike  a 
center  and  work  them  to  a  uniform  size,  and  then  bore 
holes  for  the  journals.  The  best  way  is  to  have  a  pump- 
maker  bore  entirely  through  the  pieces  an  inch  and  three- 
quarter  hole.  Then  hang  them  on  a  round  bar  of  iron  or 
steel,  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  as  a  loose  spindle. 
The  brace-irons  can  be  made  of  stout  old  tire  by  the  near- 
est blacksmith,  and  four  of  them,  securely  bolted  into 
place,  will  be  sufficient.  Keep  under  cover  when  not  in 
use. 


A  DOUBLE   LAND   ROLLER. 

The  cheap  home-made  roller  shown  in  figure  49  con- 
sists of  two  sections  of  a  round  log,  dressed  smooth, 
and  fitted  in  a  frame.     The  frame  is  made  of  four  by 


48 


FARM  APPLIAKCES. 


four  oak,  bolted  together  firmly.  The  logs  are  each 
eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  three  and  one-half  feet 
long,  one  being  set  three  inches  ahead  of  the  other  in  the 
frame.  The  pins  for  the  rollers  are  one  and  a  quarter 
inch  thick,  round  for  four  inches  at  one  end,  and  square 


Fig.  49.— A  HOME-MADE  ROLLEB. 

for  twelve  inches  ;  this  end  is  pointed,  and  is  driven  into 
an  inch  hole,  bored  in  the  end  of  the  log.  The  tongue  is 
braced  wiih  strong  iron  braces,  and  a  seat  may  be  fitted 
partly  over  the  rear  of  the  frame,  and  balance  the  weight 
of  the  tongue,  and  relieve  the  horses'  necks. 


STALK  LBVELER. 


The  frame,  figure  50,  is  of  two  pieces  six  inches  wide 
and  two  inches  thick.     They  are  joined  together  with 


Fig.  50.— STALK  LEVELEB. 

pieces  of  old  wagon  tire,  which  has  been  straightened  out, 
and  two  holes  punched  or  drilled  in  each  end,  to  hold  the 
spikes.  The  front  ends  of  this  tire-iron  are  bent  or 
curved,  to  hold  the  chain  to  which  the  horses  are  at- 
tached. By  using  this  contrivance  when  the  stalks  are 
stiff  and  hard  with  frost,  they  will  break  off  clear  and 


VEHICLES,    ROLLERS,    HARROWS   Al^D   MARKERS.      49 

clean  near  to  the  ground,  and  can  then  be  gathered  up 
and  burned,  or  made  into  manure. 


USEFUL  CLOD   CRUSHER. 


The  illustrations,  figures  51  to  53,  present  different  views 
of  a  home-made  implement  to  be  used  as  a  clod  crusher 


Fig.  51.— CLOD  CEUSHEB  IN  OPERATION. 

or  for  other  purposes.  The  runners  are  of  oak  plank, 
two  inches  thick,  six  feet  long  and  eight  inches  wide, 
each  rounded  off  at  one  end,  and  notched  on  the  upper 
edge,  as  shown  in  the  engravings.  The  cross-pieces  are 
of  similar  material,  three  feet  long  and  seven  inches 
wide,  spiked  in  place.     The  outer  edges  of  the  cross- 


Fig.  52.— BOTTOM  OF  CLOD  CRUSHEB. 

pieces  are  faced  with  band-iron.  A  staple  with  ring  is 
driven  from  the  inside  of  'each  runner,  near  the  front, 
and  the  chain  by  which  it  is  drawn  is  run  through  the 
ring.     In  this  form  it  serves  a  very  good  purpose  as  a 


50  FARM  APPLIANCES. 

clod  crusher.  If  additional  weight  is  desired,  large  stones 
may  be  placed  between  the  runners. 

To  fit  it  for  use  as  a  sled,  it  is  inverted,  a  box  of  inch 
boards  made  five  feet  ten  inches  long,  three  feet  broad, 
and  nine  inches  deep.  The  lower  edges  of  the  side- 
boards are  notched  to  fit  the  projections  of  the  cross- 
pieces.  Inch  boards  are  nailed  across  the  bottom  to  close 
the  spaces  between  the  latter.     Staples  are  driven  into 


Fig.  53. — CLOD  CEUSHEB  AND  SLED. 

the  sides  of  the  runners  to  receive  hickory  stakes,  which 
hold  the  box  in  place.  For  use  in  winter  the  thills 
are  attached  by  iron  straps  bolted  on,  as  shown  in  figure 
53.  When  the  runners  become  worn,  the  bottoms  are 
planed  off  and  strips  of  oak  pinned  on.  Tlie  box  may  be 
replaced  by  a  rack  for  drawing  hay  or  other  bulky  stuff. 


•  A  BRUSH  HARROW. 

For  the  cultivation  of  various  kinds  of  crops,  one  of 
the  most  useful  implements  made  on  the  farm,  and  one 
which  properly  constructed,  lasts  a  lifetime,  is  a  smoothing 
and  brush  harrow,  figure  54.  It  should  be  made  of 
rather  heavy  stuff,  so  that  the  weight,  as  it  is  dragged 
along,  will  be  sufficient  to  break  the  lumps  and  level  the 
soil.     This  harrow  can  be  used  with  good  effect  in  cover- 


VEHICLES,    ROLLERS,    HARROWS  AND  MARKERS.      61 

ing  newly  planted  seed,  and  in  all  cases  where  a  disc  or 
tooth  harrow  would  be  too  heavy  or  wide-spread,  a  brush 


Fig.  54. — ^BEUSH  HARROW. 

harrow,  like  that  herewith  represented,  will  be  found  to 
be  a  good  substitute. 


AN  IMPROVED  HARROW  FRAME. 

Figure  55   shows  a  very  cheap  and  excellent    har- 
row frame  intended  for  grass  seeding  ;  also  for  working 


Fig.  55.— IMPROVED  HARROW  FRAME, 


52 


FARM   APPLlAKCES. 


corn  and  potato  land  while  the  crop  is  young  and  small. 
For  this  purpose,  a  harrow  should  be  light,  broad,  have 
a  large  number  of  fine  teeth  sloping  backward,  and  should 
be  so  arranged  that  it  will  draw  level  and  not  lift  at  the 
front.  The  owner  and  inventor  of  this  harrow  claims 
that  he  has  secured  all  these.  The  special  point  of  this 
harrow  is  the  hitching  device.  This  consists  of  a  hooked 
bar  which  works  in  two  stirrups,  one  to  draw  by  and  the 
other  to  permit  the  draw-bar  or  chain  to  rise  and  fall,  as 
the  harrow  passes  over  the  ground  that  is  not  quite  level. 
This  is  an  important  end  to  secure.  The  harrow  is  not 
patented,  and  any  farmer  is  free  to  make  one. 


LAND-MARKERS. 


Figure  56  represents  a  one-horse  land-marker,  such  as 
is  used  among  the  gravel  and  cobblestone  soils  of  some 


Fig.  56.— LAND-MARKEB  COMPLETE. 

sections,  where  it  does  good  service.     The  lumber  should- 
be  of  well  seasoned  oak  ;  the  long  rails,  two  by  three 
stuff  in  pairs;  the  cross-bar  and  end  pieces  the  same  ;  the 
cross  bars,   in  which   the  teeth  ai"e  set,   three  by  three 
inches  square  ;  the  thills  one  and  a  half  by  two  inches  at 


VEHICLES,    KOLLERS,    HARROWS   AND   MARKERS.      53 

the  large  ends  and  tapering  beyond  the  braces.  The 
handles  are  common  straight  plow  handles,  that  is,  bent 
only  at  the  grip.  Three-eighths  bolts  are  large  enough 
for  the  frame. 

The  center  tooth  should  be  permanently  framed  in,  the 
outside  teeth  being  adjustable,  work  in  the  slot  between 


Fig.  57.— END  VIEW  OF  LAND-MARKER. 

the  long  rails,  and  are  held  in  place  by  two  three-eighths 
iron  pins.  They  can  be  moved  so  as  to  mark  from  two 
feet  six  to  five  feet.  The  rails  should  have  seven-six- 
teenth holes  bored  through  them  every  three  inches, 
commencing  at  two  feet  six  from  center  of  middle  tooth. 
For  shares  use  old  points  of  shovel  plo\<>-s.  The  whiffle- 
tree  is  held  by  a  bolt  which  passes  through  the  cejiter 
cross-bar. 

Figure  56  shows  the  adjustment  of  the  teeth,  one  being 
set  at  two  feet  six,  the  other  four  feet,  also  the  position 
of  the  thills,  the  whiffletree,  the  handles.  The  cross-rail 
tenons  at  ends  should  fit  in  the  end  of  slots  and  be  bolted 


Fig.  58.— MOVABLE  TOOTH  OF  LAND-MARKER. 

fast  with  three-eighths  bolts.  The  braces  on  thills  and 
handles  are  of  iron,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick  and  an  inch 
wide,  held  by  quarter-inch  bolts.     Figure  57  is  an  end 


54  FAEM  APPLIANCES. 

view,  showing  the  pitch  of  handles  and  thills,  a  tooth 
also,  and  the  mode  of  fastening  the  same.  Figure  58 
shows  one  end  of  the  pair  of  long  rails  which  form  the 
slot  fof  a  movable  tooth  ;  also  the  shape  of  share.     This 


Fig.  59. — A  HOKSE  LAND-MAEKEK. 

implement  is  not  patented,  and  can  be  made  by  any  one 
with  common  tools  and  knowledge  and  ingenuity  enough 
to  use  them. 

Figure  59  shows  a  marker  with  plank  runners,  so  sim- 
ple in  its  construction  and.  so  clearly  shown  in  the  en- 
graving that  no  description  is  needed. 

Figure  60  shows  an  excellent  marker  for  *'  check- 
ing" corn  ground.  The  runners  are  of  hard -wood  plank 
two  by  six  inches,  and  four  feet  long.  They  are  usually 
placed  three  feet  ten  inches  apart.  The  cross-pieces,  of 
two  by  four  inch  stuff,  are  laid  on  top  of  the  runners,  and 
fastened  in  place  with  square  pieces  ;  or  better  yet,  let  into 
the  runners.  Pieces  of  two  by  four  inch  stuff  run  diag- 
onally from  the  rear  corners  and  meet  in  front,  forming 
bases  of  attachment  for  the  pole  tongue.  Bows  of  pieces 
of  hoop-poles  are  fastened  in  these,  through  which  the 
rear  end  of  the  tongue  passes.     This  is  much  superior  to 


VEHICLES,    KOLLERS,    HARROWS   AKD   MARKERS.      55 

bolting  the  tongue  across  the  top  of  the  marker,  for  then 
every  irregularity  in  the  walk  of  the  horses  is  communi- 
cated to  the  marker,  making  short  crooks  in  the  checks  ; 
and  where  the  marker  dips  in  a  depression,  its  weight  is 


'Fig.  60.— SERVICEABLE  MARKER. 

thrown  on  the  horses'  necks.  When  the  tongue  is  at- 
tached, as  shown  in  the  cut,  no  short  crooks  are  made  in 
the  checks,  there  is  neither  lateral  or  horizontal  strain  on 
the  horses'  shoulders,  while  the  hoops  make  the  marker 
manageable  in  crossing  deep  furrows,  etc.  The  tongue 
is  held  in  place  by  a  round  iron  bolt  passing  through  it 
and  the  end  of  the  diagonals.  The  double  trees  are  fas- 
tened just  in  front  of .  this  point  of  attachment.  The 
driver  stands  on  the  two  boards  on  the  rear  center  of  the 
marker. 


COMBINED   MARKER  AND   CLOD-CRUSHER. 

In  figure  61  is  a  very  clear  illustration  of  a  useful 
marker  and  clod-crusher,  which   is  made  as    follows  : 


Fig.  61.— COMBINED  MARKER  AND   CLOD   CRUSHER. 

Three  runners  are  provided,  four  feet  long,  eight  inches 
wide  and  two  inches  thick ;  four  two-inch  planks  of 
strong,  hard  wood,  eight  feet  long  and  eight  inches  wide, 


56  FARM  APPLIANCES. 

are  let  into  the  runners  four  and  one-half  inches  deep  ; 
these  slope  from  top  to  bottom  edge  backwards,  forty-five 
degrees,  so  as  to  draw  over  the  rough  ground,  and  break 
clods  by  pressing  on  them.  These  runners  are  let  into 
the  cross-pieces  one  inch,  and  are  fastened  together  by 
large  screws.  A  strip  of  two  by  four  is  halved  down  on 
the  runners  in  the  front,  for  a  draw-bar.  The  tongue  is 
fitted  with  hooks,  which  are  attached  to  rings  on  the 
draw-bar,  so  that  it  can  be  removed  when  the  sled  is 
turned  over  to  be  used  as  a  clod-crusher. 


A  LAND  LEVELER. 

For  preparing  land  for  grass  seeding,  or  for  corn-plant- 
ing, the  three  plank  leveler  and  clod-crusher  is  useful. 


Fig.  62.— LAND  LEVELEB. 

The  planks  are  held  together  by  a  chain,  and  both  with 
large  washers,  which  pass  through  links.  If  short  pieces 
of  heavy  chain  are  fastened  to  the  holes  in  the  rear  plank 
they  will  mark  sufficiently  plain  for  corn  or  potato 
planting. 


CHAPTEE    III. 
'small  tools  and  appliances. 

BAG   HOLDERS. 

There  is  an  endless  variety  of  devices  for  holding  a  bag 
upright,  with  the  mouth  open.  One  of  the  simplest, 
figure  63,  consists  of  a  piece  of  hickory  or  white  oak 
bent  into  a  half -circle^  and  the  ends  passed  through  a 


Fig.  63.— CHEAP  BAG  HOLDER. 

somewhat  larger  rod  of  the  same  kind  of  wood,  and 
wedged  fast.  A  screw  is  driven  into  each  end  of  the  rod, 
and  filed  to  a  point.  To  use  it,  the  mouth  of  the  bag 
is  put  through  the  half  circle,  and  the  edge  is  turned 
down  over  the  holder,  and  over  the  sharp  points,  which 
hold  it  firmly.  The  bag  is  then  held  while  it  is  filled,  or 
it  may  be  hung  upon  two  hooks,  or  the  holder  may  be 
fitted  in  a  frame  on  a  stand,  so  that  one  can  use  it  with- 
out any  help  to  hold  the  bags. 

A  very  good  form  is  shown  in  figure  64  for  farmers  who 
sack  their  grain  in  the  granary,  one  side  of  the  room 
being  used  as  a  passage-way.  It  is  swung  by  staples  to 
the  posts,  and  can  be  changed  readily  from  one  post  to 
another  by  having  staples  arranged  in  each  posfc.  Three- 
quarter  inch  round  iron  is  used,  all  in  one  piece,  the  rod 
(57) 


58 


FARM   APPLIANCES. 


being  bent  or  welded  to  make  the  circular  shaped  open- 
ing for  the  hopper.  The  hopper  is  made  of  common 
sheet  iron,  funnel-shaped,  turned  and  wired  on  the  upper 


Fig.  64.— GRANARY  BAG  HOLDER. 

side  to  add  to  its  strength  and  to  reduce  the  sharpness 
of  the  edge.  Four  small  hooks  can  be  riveted  to  the 
hopper,  to  attach  the  sack  when  filling  it.  When  not 
in  use,  the  holder  can  be  swung  back  out  of  the  way.  If 
desired,  the  hopper  can  be  permanently  attached  to  the' 
iron  rim  or  holder  by  a  couple  of  small  rivets  passing 


Fig.  65.— A  BETTER  BAG  HOLDER. 

through  both.     This  will  prevent  the  hopper  from  being 
displaced  by  the  weight  of  the  bag. 
The  holder  illustrated  in  figure  65,  has  the  advantage 


SMALL  TOOLS   AND   APPLIANCES. 


59 


of  being  built  almost  wholly  of  wood,  and  can  be  made 
by  any  ingenious  farmer.  It  can  also  be  adjusted  to  vari- 
ous heights  by  moving  it  up  or  down  a  notch.  The  back 
is  of  inch  board,  about  one  foot  wide  and  of  any  desired 
length,  from  fifteen  to  thirty  inches.  The  arms  are  an 
inch  thick  and  an  inch  and  a  half  wide,  fastened  by 
screws  into  the  notches  in  the  back  and  supported  by 
wire  rods  which  may  be  held  by  screws  through  the  flat- 
tened ends,  or  may  pass  through  the  back  and  arms  and 
clinch.     The  cross-piece  is  of  tough  wood,  three-fourths 


Fig.  66.— PORTABLE   SACK  HOLDER. 

of  an  inch  square.  For  holding  the  bag  there  is  one 
hook  on  the  back  piece,  two  on  each  arm,  and  one  under 
the  cross-piece.  The  whole  is  supported  on  two  strong 
spikes  driven  into  the  wall  of  the  barn  or  other  building, 
and  projecting  far  enough  to  fit  the  notches  on  the  side. 
The  bag  holder  shown  at  figure  66,  is  portable  and  may 
be  taken  wherever  it  is  to  be  used.  The  sack  to  be  filled 
is  brought  up  inside  of  the  frame  and  turned  over  and 
hooked  on  the  underside  of  it.  The  hooks  are  put  here 
because  they  are  not  in  the  way  and  the  sack  is  not  torn 
by  the  weight  of  the  grain,  as  would  be  the  case  if  the 


60  TARM   APPLIANCES. 

hooks  were  put  on  the  top  of  the  frame.  The  frame 
must  be  somewhat  smaller  than  the  sack.  The  sack  can 
be  filled  to  the  top  of  the  frame,  as  the  part  drawn  over 
will  be  enough  to  tie  by.  The  material  used  is  inch  stuff. 
The  length  of  the  legs  must  be  such  that  when  the  sack 
is  put  on  the  hooks  the  bottom  will  rest  on  the  floor. 

Another  form  of  portable  holder,  shown  in  figure  67, 
is  so  compact  and  light  that  it  can  bo  carried  into  the 


Fisr.  67.— A  simple  bag  holdeb. 


field  if  desired.  The  apparatus  consists  simply  of  three 
light  poles  about  six  feet  long,  and  loosely  fastened  to- 
gether at  one  end  with  a  small  carriage  bolt,  and  three 
screw-hooks  at  the  proper  height  for  holding  the  bag 
when  stretched  out,  as  seen  in  the  illustration. 


HANDLING  POTATOES. 


Potatoes  are  best  stored  in  a  dry,  cool  cellar,  where  the 
temperature  can  be  kept  by  ventilation  at  about  forty  de- 
grees. The  floor  should  be  of  planks,  raised  three  inches 
from  the  ground,  and  laid  with  one-inch  spaces  between 
them  for  ventilation.     The  bins  should  be  about  eight 


SMALL  tOOLS  AKD  APPLIAIfCES.  61 

feet  long,  four  feet  wide  and  deep,  made  of  loose-barred 
partitions  (figure  68),  wired  together  at  the  corners.  A 
bin  of  this  size  will  hold  one  hundred  bushels,  and  with 
such  a  one  it  is  very  easy  to  know  precisely  how  much  the 
crop  amounts  to. 

The  box  shown  at  figure  69  will  be  found  a  great  con- 
venience in  gathering  and  storing  the  potatoes.  It  is 
made  eighteen  inches  long,  fifteen  inches  deep  in  the 
clear  at  the  sides,  and  ten  inches  wide,  all  inside  measure- 
ments ;  thus  holding  two  thousand  and  seven  hundred 


tr ur 

Fig.  68.— PANEL  OF  POTATO  BIN.     Fig.  69.— SLATTED  BOX  FOB  POTATOES. 

cubic  inches,  or  thirteen  cubic  inches  (about  two  good- 
sized  potatoes)  over  a  heaped  bushel,  which  is  two  thou- 
sand and  six  hundred  and  eighty-seven  inches.  These 
boxes  can  be  set  one  upon  another,  and  then  have  a  space 
left  between  the  potatoes,  and  are  thus  well  adapted  for 
use  in  storing  a  part  of  the  crop,  or  a  small  quantity  for 
domestic  use.  The  barred  sides  and  bottom  secure  abun- 
dant ventilation.  The  bins  in  the  cellar  should  have  a 
space  of  four  inches  between  the  end  and  the  wall,  and 
between  the  sides  ;  this  is  easily  made  by  placing  a  short 
rail  between  them,  or  a  piece  of  four  by  four  scantling, 
and  this  will  relieve  the  sides  from  the  bulging  pressure 
of  the  potatoes.  It  is  advisable  to  have  a  well-built  root 
cellar,  or  a  cellar  under  the  barn,  for  storing  potatoes ; 
a  house  cellar  should  never  be  used  for  this  purpose. 


62 


J'ABM  APPLIAKCES. 


GK3NDST0NES  A:^I)  FEAMES. 

A  grindstone,  to  do  good  service,  should  be  at  least 
three  feet  in  diameter  and  two  and  one-half  to  three 
inches  in  thickness,  having  a  bevel  on  each  side  of  the 
face  for  grinding  on.  It  should  be  quite  free  from  hard 
spots  of  iron  pyrites,  which  are  injurious  to  tools,  al- 
though they  may  be  taken  out  with  a  sharp-pointed 
punch.  If  it  is  not  centered  truly  it  will  work  out  of 
shape  and  soon  require  trueing  up.    It  should  run  as  fast 


Fig.  70. — GKINDSTONE  SET. 

as  possible,  as  it  does  its  work  better  and  more  quickly. 
To  prevent  it  from  throwing  water,  a  piece  of  bagging 
should  be  fastened  to  a  staj)le  fixed  across  the  frame  on 
each  end  (as  shown  in  figure  70),  but  not  so  close  as 
to  grind  it  out ;  this  will  catch  the  excess  of  water  and 
yet  keep  the  stone  wet  enough  and  clean  it.  The  stone 
should  be  kept  in  the  shade  and  never  in  water,  which 
softens  it  and  makes  one  side  wear  faster  than  the  other. 
The  water  box  should  have  a  hole  in  it  to  let  out  the 
water  and  keep  the  stone  dry  when  not  in  use.  In  grind- 
ing, it  should  mostly  turn  from  the  tool,  and  if  used 
otherwise,  great  care  should  be  taken  by  the  one  who 
holds  the  tool,  not  to  gouge  the  stone. 

Figure  71  shows  a  novel  style  of  frame  for  a  grind- 
stone. The  frame  proper  consists  of  the  iron  part  or 
bearing  of  a  reaper  reel.     The  arms  to  which  the  reel 


SMALL  TOOLS  AKD  APPL1AN"0ES. 


63 


sticks  were  fastened,  are  all  broken  off  but  one.  To  this 
one  the  crank  is  bolted,  as  seen  in  figure  71.  Four  holes 
are  drilled  through  the  rim  of  the  reel-wheel,  to  which 


Fig.  71.— GRINDSTONE  FRAME. 

is  bolted  a  hard  wood  board  one  inch  thick,  and  having 
a  square  hole  half  way  through,  in  which  the  center 
block  fits.  A  bolt  passes  through  a  board  block  to  a 
strip  of  iron,  which  may  be  bent  to  form  a  crank  for 


Fig.  72.— CROSS-SECTION.         Fig.  73.— center  block. 

foot-power.  A  cross-section  of  the  stone  as  hung  is 
shown  in  figure  72  ;  the  center  block  and  board  to  which 
it  is  fastened  are  seen  in  figure  73.  This  frame  should 
be  bolted  to  a  post  or  tree. 


64 


FARM  APPLIAI^CES. 


TOOL  HOLDER. 

Many  a  boy,  and  his  father  as  well,  who  has  toiled  over 
the  grindstone  to  sharpen  tools,  will  be  pleased  with  the 
device  shown  in  figure  74,  for  giving  a  smooth,  even  edge 
to  tools,  which  can  be  held  by  the  hands,  while  the  stone 
is  turned  by  a  treadle  or  a  horse-power.  It  is  a  triangle  of 
wooden  bars,  put  together  as  shown,  having  a  sharp  pin 
at  the  point,  a  clamp  for  holding  the  tool  at  the  center, 
and  holes  at  the  sides  for  tying  an  axle  helve  with  cords, 
to  keep  it  firm.     The  grindstone  is  near  a  wall  or  a  post. 


a 


Kg.  75.— DAMAGED  ASTD 
BEPAIKED  GRINDSTONE. 


Fig.  74.— TOOL  HOLDER. 

and  the  pin  is  pushed  into  Ihis  to  hold  the  frame.  The 
frame  is  then  held  in  its  proper  position  by  the  hands,  and 
if  held  firmly,  will  grind  an  even  bevel  on  any  tool.  A 
scythe,  or  a  cutting-bar  of  a  mower  or  reaper,  or  a  chisel, 
can  thus  be  ground  perfectly  and  with  little  labor. 


HOW  TO   REPAIR   A   GRINDSTONE. 

Usually  a  grindstone  is  worn  out  of  level,  and  very 
irregularly.  This  is  scarcely  to  be  avoided  when  such  a 
large  variety  of  tools,  including  scythes,  mower  sections, 
axes,  hoes,  and  many  other  tools  are  ground.  After  or- 
dinary use,  those  who  are  not  careful  to  preserve  the  stone 


SMALL  TOOLS  Ai^D  APPLlAKCfiS.  66 

true,  with  smooth  and  slightly  rounded  face,  the  stone 
appears  as  at  a,  in  figure  75.  It  is  then  beyond  the 
power  of  the  owner  to  repair  the  damage,  unless  he  is  an 
expert  mechanic,  when  he  takes  a  piece  of  old  stove- 
plate  and  grinds  the  stone  down  to  a  slightly  rounded  or 
beveled  face,  like  that  shown  at  h.  The  best  way  to  do 
this  is  to  take  a  spade  or  a  shovel,  and  turning  it  back 
upwards,  to  grind  it  sharp  against  the  turning  of  the 
stone.  This  will  bring  the  stone  into  the  right  shape, 
and  in  sharpening  the  spade,  do  a  useful  job  at  the  same 
time. 


A  WOODEN    MAKGER    FORK. 

The  common  method  of  pitching  fodder  into  mangers 
with  a  steel-tined  fork,  is  often  accompanied  with  harm 


Fig.  76.— A  MANGER  PORK. 

to  animals.  They  will  crowd  around  the  rack  or  man- 
ger, and  frequently  receive  an  accidental  thrust  in  the 
head  or  body  with  the  sharp  fork.  Not  infrequently  an 
eye  is  lost,  and  with  a  horse  this  is  a  serious  matter. 
The  wooden  manger  fork  shown  in  figure  76  avoids 
this  danger.  It  is  made  of  a  piece  of  hickory  or  oak  six 
feet  long,  an  inch  and  a  half  wide,  and  an  inch  thick. 
Four  feet  of  its  length  is  shaped  round  for  a  handle. 
The  other  end  is  sawed  or  split  into  three  equal  parts,  to 
within  a  few  inches  of  the  rounded  portion,  where  an 
iron  band  is  placed.  The  "  tines"  are  spread  apart,  and 
held  in  position  by  a  wooden  brace  placed  between  them. 


66 


FAEM  APPLIAKCES. 


The  tines  are  rounded,  smoothed,  and  slightly  sharpened 
at  their  points. 


HOME-MADE    AND    USEFUL    CHAFF    FORKS. 

Figure  77  represents  a  home-made  fork  with  tines 
about  two  feet  long,  and  having  a  spread  of  twenty 
inches.  The  teeth  are  straight  above,  and  curved  towards 
the  point.     They  are  fastened  by  screws  to  the  three-inch 


Fig.  77.— LARGE  CHAFF  FOBK.      Fig.  78.— SIMPLE  CHAFF  FOBK. 

liard-wood  head,  and  strengthened  by  an  iron  rod  near 
the  head,  and  by  a  round  wooden  rod,  which  passes 
through  them  and  to  which  they  are  tacked  fast.  The 
head  is  strengthened  by  a  similar  piece  of  oak  or  ash,  half 
an  inch  thick,  screwed  upon  its  edge,  and  through  which 
the  handle  passes.  This  is  of  ash  or  hickory,  large 
enough  around  to  give  the  hand  a  good  hold,  and  is  fas- 
tened by  wiring  to  the  top  side  of  the  head.  Such  a 
fork  may  be  made  quite  light,  and  the  six  tines  being 


SMALL  TOOLS  AND  APPLIAITCES.  67 

only  four  inches  apart,  will  handle  either  chaff  or 
light  straw  to  good  advantage.  We  give,  by  way  of 
comparison,  a  simple  chaff  fork,  figure  78,  made  by 
first  binding  and  then  carefully  splitting  a  single  piece 
of  hickory  or  ash,  handles  and  tines  being  formed  of  the 
same  stick.  A  ring-ferule  or  band  of  wire  is  placed  at 
the  point  beyond  which  the  splits  may  not  go,  and  after 
the  splits  are  made,  the  tin'":!  are  spread  apart  by  wedge- 
shaped  pieces  of  wood.  Th  je  forks  are  easily  made  and 
are  the  very  best  stable  forjis  that  can  be  used.  There 
is  no  danger  of  pricking  horses  or  cattle  with  them,  and 
if  one  be  carelessly  left  in  the  stable,  or  falls  down, 
neither  man  nor  beast  is  likely  to  be  hurt. 


STABLE  SCRAPER  AND  BROOM. 

The  manure  gutter  is  easily  cleaned  out  with  the  scraper 
and  broom  shown  below.     The  scraper,  figure  79,  is  made 


Fig.  79.  Fig.  80. 

to  fit  the  width  of  the  gutter,  and  brings  the  manure  to 
the  trap-door.  The  broom,  figure  80,  is  then  used  to 
sweep  the  waste  matter  from  the  floors  into  the  gutter, 


68  FARM  APPLIAKCES. 

and  from  the  gutters  into  the  trap-doors,  leaving  the 
floor  clean  and  clear  for  a  new  supply  of  litter. 


A  STRAW   OR  HAT  HOOK. 

A  convenient  hook  for  pulling  straw  or  hay  out  of  a 
stack  for  distribution  amon  sheep  or  cattle,  is  shown  in 
figure  81.  It  consists  of  a  s  ut  pole  pointed  at  one  end  ; 
a  slit  is  cut  through  it  and  l  iiook  is  pivoted  as  shown  in 


Fig.  81.— STRAW  OR  HAT  HOOK. 

the  engraving,  so  that  it  will  be  pushed  back  when^it  is 
thrust  into  the  atack,  and  drawn  forward,  when  it  is 
pulled  out.  A  strong  cord  helps  to  strengthen  the  hook, 
When  the  hook  is  pulled  out  of  the  stack,  it  brings  a 
quantity  of  straw  or  hay  with  it. 


FORK  FOR  HANDLING  STONES. 

The  fork,  figure  82,  for  lifting  stones  will  prevent  many 
a  back-ache.     It  should  have  four  prongs,   which  are 


Fig.  82. 

curved  so  as  to  hold  the  stones,  and  a  strong  handle.  By 
a  knack  in  giving  a  quick  jerk,  a  heavy  stone  can  be 
lifted  and  thrown  into  a  wac^on,  and  without  stooping. 
Having  used  one  of  these  contrivances  to  pick  up  stones, 
we  can  speak  with  knowledge  of  its  usefulness.     It  is 


SMALL  TOOLS   AND   APPLIANCES. 


69 


made  of  prongs  of  horse-shoe  iron,  welded  to  a  heavier 
cross-bar,  which  has  two  strong  straps  to  receive  the 
handle. 


SALT  BOX  FOE  STOCK. 


Salt  should  be  given  regularly  to  horses,  cattle,  and 
sheep,  but  it  is  rarely  so  given,  because  a  supply  is  not 
kept  handy  for  use.     The  box  shown  in  figure  83  may 


Fig.  83. 

be  hung  in  a  stable  or  shed,  or  to  a  tree  or  post  in  the 
pasture.  The  salt  is  protected  from  the  rain,  and  if  re- 
plenished when  necessary,  the  stock  will  be  supplied 
with  it  regularly. 


SAFETY  SINGLE-TREE. 


In  plowing  among  fruit  trees  or  in  corn,  single-trees 
having  the  traces  arranged  the  usual  way,  will  do  much 
injury  to  the  trees  or  corn.  There  is  a  method  in  ar- 
ranging the  traces  which  will  avoid  all  this,  as  can  be 
seen  in  the  illustration,  figure  84.     A  knot  is  made  on 


70 


PAEM  APPLIANCES. 


the  end  of  the  trace  rope,  when  the  rope  is  passed  through 
the  hole  made  for  the  purpose,  and  brought  around  in 
the  grooved  end  of  the  single-tree.  To  prevent  the  rope 
from  getting  out  of  place,  it  is  wired  or  tied  with  strong 
cord.  If  the  tree  is  struck  by  the  end  of  the  single-tree, 
thus  guarded,  it  slides  off  without  doing  much  injury. 
If  the  trees  are  young  and  small,  with  smooth  and  tender 


Fig.  84.— SAFETY  SINGLE-TREE. 

bark,  it  is  well  to  wrap  the  end  of  the  traces,  for  about 
eighteen  inches  from  the  single-tree,  with  old  cloth,  to 
prevent  the  rough,  twisted  rope  from  chafing  the  trees. 
Always  use  a  shorter  single-tree  in  plowing  and  culti- 
tivating  an  orchard  than  in  ordinary  plowing,  and  also 
use  a  small  horse  or  mule  to  do  the  work,  as  this  allows 
of  more  thorough  work,  and  with  less  liability  of  injury 
to  the  low  branches  or  the  trunks  of  the  trees. 


ROOT  PULPERS  AN^D   CUTTERS. 

Those  who  feed  beets,  turnips,  carrots  and  other  roots, 
find  it  necessary  to  reduce  them 
by  some  cheaper  method  than  cut- 
ting by  hand  with  a  knife.  An 
excellent  machine  for  pulping 
roots  is  shown  in  figure  85.  It 
may  be  made  by  any  carpenter  in 
two  days,  at  a  cost  of  about  six 
dollars.  The  plan  of  the  machine 
Fig.  85.-BOOT  PTJLPER.      -^  ^-^.^^^  -^  ^^^  cugraviug.     It  is 

simply  a  square  or  oblong  box,  with  a  spiked  cylinder 


SMALL  TOOLS  AKD   APPLIANCES. 


71 


fitted  in  it,  the  cylinder  haying  a  square  gudgeon  at  one 
end,  to  which  a  handle  is  fitted.  To  save  expense  the 
heavy  wheel  and  handle  attached,  of  a  fodder  cutter,  may 
be  taken  off  and  used  on  the  root  pulper,  as  the  two 
will  rarely  be  used  at  the  same  time.  The  cylinder  is 
closely  studded  with  sharp,  chisel-pointed  spikes.  These 
teeth  are  made  of  one-quarter  inch  square  bar  iron, 
and  are  three  inches  long;  the  sharp  edges  are  worked 
out  on  an  anvil,   and    are   chilled    by    immersion  in 


Fig.  86.— HOME-MADE  BOOT-CUTTER.        Fig.  87.— BOOT-CUTTEB  SLIDE. 

cold  salt  water  when  red  hot,  the  other  end  being  cut 
with  a  screw  thread.  To  secure  strength,  and  to  make 
the  machine  work  with  more  ease,  the  cutters  are  screwed 
in  so  far  as  to  leave  only  half  an  inch  or  a  little  more 
projecting.  A  still  cheaper  form  is  illustrated  in  figure 
86.  At  A  is  seen  the  hopper  which  is  without  a  bot- 
tom. The  slide,  figure  87,  contains  a  two-edged  knife, 
and  runs  in  the  grooves,  G  G,  in  the  top  of  the  frame, 
close  to  the  bottom  of  the  hopper.  Near  the  bottom  of 
the  frame  is  a  roller,  E,  into  which  is  fitted  the  handle, 
ff.     This  is  connected  with  the  slide  by  the  rod,  i?.  The 


72  FAEM   APPLIAN^CES. 

knife  should  be  about  four  inches  wide  and  one-quarter 
inch  thick,  be  placed  diagonally  in  the  slide,  leaving  half 
an  inch  space  between  it  and  the  bottom  of  the  slide. 
When  using  the  apparatus  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  move 
the  handle  to  and  from  the  hopper.  It  works  easily  and 
quickly,  is  durable,  and  with  fair  usuage  is  not  likely  to 
get  out  of  order.  A  ready  way  of  chopping  a 
^CT/  few  roots,  is  to  use  a  spade  ground  to  a  sharp 
edge,  and  a  box  in  which  the  roots  are  quickly 
reduced  to  slices.  A  basket  of  turnips  or  ap- 
ples, can  be  sliced  in  this  way  in  one  minute. 
Tor  a  larger  quantity,  a  chopper  may  be 
made  as  in  the  engraving,  figure  88.  It  has 
two  long  blades,  and  the  roots  are  hashed  up 
rapidly,  and  all  danger  of  choking  is  avoided. 
A  common  cast-iron  winged  gudgeon,  having 
steel  strips  riveted  on  the  edges,  answers  as 
well  as  one  foTged  out  by  a  blacksmith,  at 
Fig.  88.  BOOT  several  times  its  cost.  The  roots,  so  cut, 
may  be  mixed  with  meal,  and  fed  to  the 
cows.  Apples  are  excellent  for  dairy  cows  when  fed  in 
this  way,  and  largely  increase  the  flow  of  milk,  besides 
being  healthy  for  them. 


BOOT    WASHERS. 

A  convenient  washer  for  potatoes  and  roots,  consists  of 
a  kerosene  barrel  hung  in  a  frame,  as  shown  in  figure 
89,  on  next  page.  Two  openings  are  made  in  one  side 
of  the  barrel — a  large  one,  two  staves  wide,  and  a  small 
one  only  one  inch  wide.  The  pieces  cut  out  are  used  for 
lids,  both  of  which  are  fastened  with  hinges  and  but- 
tons, and  are  made  to  fit  tight  by  having  thick  cloth 
tacked  around  their  edges.  A  bushel  of  potatoes  or 
roots  are  placed  in  the  barrel,  with  two  or  three  buckets 


SMALL  TOOLS   AND   APPLIAKCES. 


73 


of  water,  the  lids  are  closed  and  buttoned,  and  the  barrel 
is  slowly  turned.  If  they  are  very  dirty,  open  the  small 
aperture,  and  by  turning  the  barrel  back  and  forth  allow 
the  water  and  mud  to  run  out.     Add  clean  water  and 


EOOT  WASHBB. 


turn  again.  They  will  soon  be  cleansed,  when  the  large 
apei'ture  may  be  opened,  and  the  roots  or  tubers  emptied 
into  a  basket.  The  fastenings  at  each  end  of  the  barrel 
can  be  made  by  any  blacksmith,  and  they  should  be 
bolted  on  with  one-quarter  or  three-eighths  inch  bolts. 
With  this  simple  contrivance  a  man  can  wash  a  large 


Fig.  90. — VEGETABLE  WASHER. 

quantity  of  roots  in  a  day  without  catching  cold  or  a 
chill.  If  kept  out  of  the  sun,  such  a  contrivance  will 
last  a  lifetime.  In  figure  90  is  shown  a  potato  and 
vegetable  washer  for  household  use,     The  ends  of  the 


74 


FARM   APPLIANCES. 


cylinders  are  cut  out  of  inch  board  and  are  twelve  inches 
in  diameter.  The  shaft  runs  through  and  has  collars, 
to  which  the  ends  of  the  cylinders  are  fastened  to  hold 
them  firm.  Strong,  tinned  wires  are  fastened  from 
end  to  end,  as  seen  in  the  engraving.  Five  of  these  are 
fastened  together,  and  form  the  lid  to  the  aperture 
through  which  articles  are  admitted.  The  end  of  the  lid 
is  fastened  by  means  of  a  loop,  which  springs  over  a  but- 
ton. The  vegetables  to  be  washed  are  placed  in  the  cyl- 
inder, the  box  is  half  filled  with  water,  and  by  turning 


Fig.  91.— TUB  FOB  WASHES. 

the  crank,  or  by  moving  it  back  and  forth,  they  are 
quickly  cleansed.  Narrow  wooden  slats  may  be  used  in- 
stead of  wire,  if  desired.  An  ordinary  tub,  or  a  half  bar- 
rel, arranged  as  seen  in  figure  91,  may  be  used  instead 
of  the  box. 


CLAMPS  AND  STOOL  FOR  REPAIRING  HARNESS. 

The  device  shown  in  figure  92  combines  a  stool  and  a 
clamp  for  holding  harness  work.  The  bench  or  stool,  J, 
of  any  desired  size,  is  supported  by  two  legs  near  one  end. 
The  other  end  is  held  up  by  the  foot  of  the  long  claw, 
extending  to  a  convenient  height  for  the  operator.  A 
shorter  claw,  c,  is  fastened  to  it  by  a  cross-piece,  j9,  about 


;^  XjNlVEiiiSil'X 

or 


SMALL  TOOLS   AKD 


76 


an  inch  thick  and  three  inches  wide,  passing  through  a 
slot  in  the  jaws,  in  which  it  works  easily  but  firmly  on 
two  iron  pins,  a  little  more  than  half-way  up  from  the 
bench.  In  the  lower  end  of  the  short  jaw  an  eccentric 
works  on  a  pivot  and  against  a  projection  on  the  larger 


Fig.  92.— A  HARNESS  STOOL  AND  CLAMP. 


Fig.  93. 

HARNESS  HOLDEB. 


jaw.     Depressing  the  handle  to  this  eccentric  or  cam, 
closes  the  jaws  at  the  top  with  all  the  force  desired. 

A  simple  holder  without  the  stool  is  shown  in  figure 
93.  Two  staves  of  a  flour  barrel  are  sawed  off  at  a  con- 
venient length  for  holding  between  the  knees,  while  sit- 
ting on  a  chair.  The  sawed  ends  of  the  pieces  are  se- 
curely nailed  to  the  opposite  sides  of  a  block  of  wood. 
A  hole  is  cut  through  the  middle  of  one  side  piece,  in 
which  a  lever  is  placed  for  opening  and  closing  the 
holder.  The  lever  may  be  readily  made  of  such  shape 
that  it  will  always  remain  in  the  hole,  ready  for  use, 


76 


FARM  APPLIANCES. 


The  curves  of  the  staves  will  furnish  sufficient  spring  to 
hold  the  harness. 


A  BOX  SAW-HORSE. 


The  novel  saw-horse  shown  in  figure  94  is  made  of  a 
dry-goods  box,  of  inch  pine  boards,  thirteen  inches  long, 
eighteen  inches  wide,  and  twenty-four  inches  in  height. 
Upon  the  outside  of  one  end  are  nailed  tAvo  cleats,  and 
on  the  inner  side  three  cleats,  the  position  of  which  is 


Fig.  94.— NOVEL  SAW-HOBSE. 

shown  in  figure  94.  The  curved  lever  above  the  box  is 
intended  to  do  the  hard  work  usually  imposed  upon  the 
sawyer's  left  knee,  viz.,  holding  the  stick  sawed  in  place. 
The  necessary  pressure  of  the  lever  is  effected  by  means 
of  the  treadle  and  the  small  rope  or  sash  cord  connecting 
the  two.  The  lever  should  be  so  attached  to  the  side  of 
the  box  that  the  loose  or  curved  end  rests  upon  the  stick, 
held  in  place  by  it,  about  midway  between  the  center  and 
left  diagonal  cleats.  The  treadle  should  extend,  when 
horizontal,  eight  inches  beyond  the  left  side  of  the  box. 
In  using  the  horse,  raise  the  lever  with  the  left  hand, 
with  the  right  place  the  stick  to  be  sawed  so  that  the 
point  where  it  is  to  be  cut  is  over  the  U  ;  the  lever  is 
dropped  or  pulled  down  upon  the  stick  ;  the  left  foot  is 
placed  upon  the  treadle  ;  a  slight  pressure  will  hold  the 
stick  securely.  The  sawyer,  thus  using  both  limbs  for 
support,  and  standing  nearly  erect,  will  find  wood  sawing 


SMALL    TOOLS  AND  APPLIANCES.  '^'^ 

an  easy  though  vigorous  exercise,^  quite  exempt  from 
many  of  the  old-time  aches  and  pains.  If  the  horse  is  to 
be  used  in  a  wood-house — a  room  having  a  floor — it  is 
well  to  secure  it  by  screws  to  the  floor ;  if  out  of  doors,  it 
may  be  ballasted  with  a  few  bricks  or  stones,  or  be  fas- 
tened to  a  frame. 


LONG  SAW-BUCKS. 

In  cutting  fire-wood  from  long  timber  or  sawing  lum- 
ber, it  is  convenient  to  have  a  long  saw-horse.  Two 
patterns  are  illustrated  herewith.  To  make  the  one 
shown  in  figure  95,an  oak  stick  averaging  half  a  foot  in 


Fig.  95.— A  LOKG  SAW-BUCK. 

diameter,  was  selected  from  the  wood  pile,  and  apiece 
five  foot  long  cut  off.  Two  one-and-a-half -inch  auger 
holes  were  bored  near  each  end,  not  quite  opposite  each 
other,  to  avoid  weakening  the  timber  at  one  point,  and 


Fig.  96.— A  LIGHTER  HORSB. 

four  strong  sticks  from  the  same  wood  pile  were  driven 
in  for  legs — a  little  under  two  feet  long,  and  standing 
well  slanting  outward.  Six  one-inch  auger  holes  were 
bored  in  the  top,  and  split-out^egs,  eight  or  ten  inches 


'is  J-ARM  APPLIANCES. 

long,  were  driven  in,  in  a  position  to  firmly  hold  the  wood 
to  be  sawed.  The  tVo  pegs  of  each  pair  are  not  directly 
opposite,  but  separated  far  enough  for  the  saw-cut  to  run 
down  between  them.  Of  the  first  pair  one  is  four  inches 
from  the  end,  and  the  other  seven  inches  back.  The 
second  pair  is  fifteen  inches  back  of  these,  and  the  other 
in  the  farther  end  of  the  horse,  these  last  answering  as  a 
support  to  the  long  end  of  the  wood  to  be  cut,  the  other 
two  pairs  being  used  as  the  saw-horse.  When  a  stick  is 
reduced  to  five  feet  or  so  in  length,  it  is  drawn  forward 
and  wholly  supported  on  the  two  pairs  of  pins  nearest 
together. 

The  other  horse,  shown  in  figure  96,  consists  of  an  ordi- 
nary saw-horse  having  a  block  nailed  across  its  legs  on 
one  side,  forming  a  rest  for  the  end  of  a  long  stick,  which 
at  the  other  end  is  fastened  into  half  a  saw-horse,  a. 
The  piece  to  be  sawed  is  laid  on  the  three  rests  thus 
formed,  the  end  to  be  sawed  being  placed  at  a.  As  each 
length  is  sawed  off,  a  is  shoved  toward  J,  the  proper  dis- 
tance. It  will  be  seen  that  this  saw-horse  can  be  length- 
ened out  or  shortened  up,  to  suit  the  length  of  the  stick. 


HOW  TO  TIE  A  BAG. 

Figure   97  shows  a  simple  and  easily  made  bag-tie 
which  effectually  prevents  any  slipping,  if  properly  ad- 


Fi^.  97.— BAG  TIB. 

justed.  Take  any  strong  cord  about  eighteen  inches 
long  and  double  it  as  herewith  seen,  passing  the  ends 
through,  making  a  loop  around  the  mouth  of  the  bag. 
Now  pull  as  tightly  as  possible  j  then  take  an  end  of  the 


SHALL    TOOLS  AKD  APPLIANCES. 


79 


string  in  each  hand  and  pull  again  in  opposite  directions  ; 
pass  the  string  completely  around,  make  a  knot,  and 
double  or  single  bow-knot,  and  the  work  is  done.  A  very 
little  experience  will  make  one  expert,  and  he  can  then 
make  sure  the  bag  will  not  come  untied. 


A   HOME-MADE   BAKE   HEAD. 


Figure  98  shows  the  end  view  of  a  hand-rake  with  the 
tooth  inserted.  The  head-block  should  be 
made  of  green  hickory,  free  from  knots 
and  curls,  while  the  rake-teeth  must  be  of 
dry,  well-seasoned  oak  or  hickory,  and 
having  grooved  places  in  them,  as  is  seen 
in  the  illustration.  The  teeth  are  rounded 
and  are  driven  snugly  into  the  green 
head-piece,  which  latter,  in  drying,  will 
hold  the  seasoned  teeth  so  firmly  as  to 
effectually  prevent  them  from  ever  com- 
ing out.  In  fact,  so  tightly  will  they  be 
held,  that  they  can  scarcely  be  driven  out 
when  the  head-block  has  become  thor- 
oughly seasoned,  the  shrinkage  of  the 
green  wood  acting  as  a  permanent  vise. 
The  same  principle  might  be  utilized  in  other  small  im- 
plements. 


Fig.   98.— ADX7R- 
ABLE  RAKE. 


WORKING  BUILDING  STONE. 


Stone  is  the  most  durable  and  the  cheapest  building 
material  where  it  is  plentiful  on  the  farm.  By  a  little 
management  the  stone  can  be  brought  to  a  convenient 
shape  for  use.  The  tools  required,  shown  in  figure  99, 
are  :  a  chipping  hammer,  a  wedge  and  steel  feathers,  a 


80 


FARM  APPLIANCES. 


striking  hammer,  drill  and  a  bar  for  opening  cracks  in  the 
stone.  The  clipping  hammer  has  a  broad,  sharp  edge, 
and  acts  as  a  chisel  for  dressing  the  faces  ;  and  the  sharp 
edges  of  the  rectangular  head,  two  by  four  inches,  serve 


Fig.  99. — TOOLS  FOR  STONE  WOEK. 

to  dress  down  the  edges  and  corners  of  the  stones.  The 
wedge  is  three  by  one  and  a  half  inches,  and  the  feathers 
are  plates  of  steel  as  wide  as  the  wedge,  which  they  serve 
to  protect.  The  striking  hammer  is  three  inches  square, 
and  six  inches  long,  with  a  beveled  edge  around  the 
face.  The  drill  is  of  one  and  a  quarter  inch  octagonal 
steel,  and  is  eighteen  inches  long,  or  if  there  be  two,  one 
is  twelve  inches  long.  The  bar  is  four  and  a  half  feet 
long,  and  has  a  sharp-edged  steel  point  for  striking  into 
cracks  and  splitting  the  stone,  which  it  is  usually  easy  to 


Fig.  100.— BREAKING  A  LARGE  STONE. 

do.  A  large  stone  is  broken  by  drilling  a  few  holes  in  it 
with  a  one-inch  drill,  and  chipping  a  groove  across  the 
face  along  the  line  of  holes,  as  shown  in  figure  100.  Small 
round  wedges,  with  small  feathers,  are  placed  in  each 
hole,  and  they  are  struck  one  after  the  other,  in  rotation. 


SMALL  TOOLS  AKD  APPLIANCES.  81 

By  this  method  very  large  blocks  are  split  with  an  even 
face.  A  small  stone  is  easily  split  by  chipping  grooves 
across  it,  and  then  repeatedly  striking  along  upon  the 
groove  with  the  face  of  the  hammer. 


BLOCK  FOR  SAND-PAPER. 

Sand-paper  is  put  up  by  the  manufacturers  in  quires 
of  sheets  nine  by  eleven  inches  in  size.  As  used  by  many 
workmen,  nearly  a  fourth  of  each  sheet  is  wasted  by 
folding  and  crumpling  over  improperly  shaped  blocks. 
A  convenient  block,  figure  101,  which  permits  the  use 


Fig.  101. 

of  all  the  sand-paper,  is  here  described.  Make  a 
wedge-shaped  piece  of  hard  wood,  one  and  a  half  inch 
thick,  three  inches  wide,  and  five  and  one-quarter  inches 
long,  tapering  from  the  head  to  a  sharp  edge.  Cut  a  V- 
shaped  hollow  across  the  head.     Fit  a  piece  three  inches 


Fig.  102. 

long,  of  hard- wood,  exactly  to  this  hollow.  Insert  in  the 
head  a  wood  or  porcelain  drawer  knob  seven-eighths  of 
an  inch  in  diameter,  fastening  it  securely  by  a  long  screw. 
Cut  a  sheet  of  sand-paper  into  three  equal  parts,  three 


82 


FARM  APPLIAI^CES. 


by  eleven  inches.  Fold  one-fourth  of  an  inch  at  each  end 
of  a  strip  of  sand-paper,  and  slip  under  the  head -piece 
by  loosening  the  screw.  Tightening  it  will  hold  the  paper 
fast  and  smooth  for  work.  A  common  wood  screw  may 
be  used  in  place  of  the  knob,  but  is  not  as  conyenient,  as 
it  must  be  turned  by  a  screw-driver. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
APPLIANCES  FOR  THE  BARN,  PASTURE  AND  DAIRY. 


CONVEITIEKT  STABLE  VENTILATOE. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  fresh  air  in  the  winter 
is  to  be  excluded  from  stables  for  the  purpose  of  keeping 
the  animals  warm.  Warmth  alone  is  not  comfort.  An 
animal  may  suffer  from  cold  in  a  close,  damp,  impure 
air,  which  is  really  warm,  while  it  will  be  quite  comfort- 


Fig.  103.— STABLE  VENTILATOB. 

able  in  fresh,  pure  air,  which  is  much  below  freezing 
temperature.  The  absence  of  oxygen  in  the  one  case  re- 
duces the  vital  warmth,  while  its  abundance  in  the  other 
case  maintains  an  agreeable  and  comfortable  feeling. 
Consequently,  ventilation  of  stables  is  necessary,  even  in 
the  coldest  weather,  to  keep  the  animals  in  good  health 
and  in  comfort.     But  it  should  be  regulated  judiciously 


THE  BARN,    PASTURE  Ai?^D   DAIRY.  83 

by  a  suitable  provision  of  openings  at  the  upper  part  of 
the  stable,  and  these  should  be  made  so  as  to  be  readily 
opened  and  closed.  A  row  of  holes  cut  in  the  wall  near 
the  upper  floor,  figure  103,  and  covered  with  a  sliding- 
board,  having  precisely  the  same  kind  and  number  of 
holes  to  match  those  in  the  wall,  will  afford  suitable  ven- 
tilation for  the  stable  at  all  seasons.  The  covering  board 
slides  back  and  forth  on  the  pins  shown,  and  covers  or 
opens  the  holes  as  may  be  desirable,  according  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  weather. 


LIGHT  NEEDED  IN  BARNS. 

Here  and  there  we  see  an  old-style  barn,  built  by  our 
grandfathers,  the  only  window  being  a  single  row  of 
panes  over  the  large  door.  Through  this  comes  all  of  the 
light  admitted  to  the  barn,  except  what  comes  through 
the  open  cracks  between  the  boards.  When  a  barn  of  this 
kind  is  filled  with  hay  it  is  comfortably  warm,  but  very 
dark;  by  midwinter  the  hay,  being  half  consumed,  leaves 
the  walls  unprotected.  With  the  light  come  in  also  the 
cold  wintry  winds  to  chill  the  cattle.  Our  fathers  built 
some  barns  warmer,  covering  the  walls  with  shingles  or 
the  cracks  with  narrow  battens.  The  light  being  thus 
shut  out,  it  was  necessary  to  have  windows;  so  they  put  in 
just  enough  to  enable  them  to  see  to  feed  their  cattle. 
It  was  left  for  our  generation  to  build  barns  that  are 
tight,  comfortable,  and  well-lighted.  But  even  at  pres- 
ent many  farmers  do  not  realize  the  importance  of  light 
in  a  cattle  barn.  Experiments  show  that  a  herd  of  milch 
cows  not  only  keep  in  better  health  and  condition  by 
having  plenty  of  light,  but  they  give  more  milk.  Every 
barn  should  be  provided  with  abundant  light  and  sun- 
shine on  the  side  where  the  cattle  stand.  The  practice, 
which  is  far  too  prevalent,  of  keeping  cows  in  a  dark  and 


84  FARM  APPLIANCES. 

damp  basement  is  not  a  good  one.  They  can  not  have 
the  sunshine  and  pure  air  so  necessary  for  good  health. 
Windows  that  are  exposed  may  be  protected  for  a  trifling 
sum  by  covering  them  with  wire  netting.  The  day  of 
windowless  barns  has  passed  ;  but  some  of  our  new  barns 
would  be  improved  by  a  few  more  windows. 


LAKTTERKS  IK  THE  BARIS". 

It  is  estimated  that  nine-tenths  of  all  fires  are  caused 
by  carelessness.  Never  light  a  lamp  or  lantern  of  any 
kind  in  a  barn.  Smokers  may  include  their  pipes  and 
cigars  in  the  above.  The  lantern  should  be  lighted  in 
the  house  or  some  out-building,  where  no  combustibles 
are  stored.  A  lantern  which  does  not  burn  well,  should 
never  be  put  in  order  in  the  hay  mow.  There  is  a  great 
temptation  to  strike  a  match  and  re-light  an  extin- 
guished lantern,  wherever  it  may  be.  It  is  best  to  even 
feel  one's  way  out  to  a  safe  place,  than  to  run  any  risks. 
If  the  light  is  not  kept  in  the  hand,  it  should  be  hung 
up.  Provide  hooks  in  the  various  rooms  where  the  lights 
are  used.  A  wire  running  the  whole  length  of  the  horse 
stable,  at  the  rear  of  the  stalls,  and  furnished  with  a 
sliding  hook,  is  very  convenient  for  night  work  with  the 
horses.  Some  farmers  are  so  careless,  as  to  keep  the 
lamp  oil  in  the  barn,  and  fill  the  lantern  there,  while  the 
wick  is  burning.  Such  risks  are  too  great,  even  if  the 
buildings  are  insured. 


SAFETY  STICK  FOR  MARE's  HALTER. 

Figure  104  shows  a  simple  method  of  preventing  colts 
from  getting  tangled  m  the  mare's  halter,  and  so  be- 
coming strangled.    A  piece  of  wood,  eighteen  inches  long 


THE  BAEN,    PASTUEE  AKD   DAIEY. 


85 


and  two  inches  wide,  is  bored  with  a  half -inch  hole  at 
each  end,  as  shown  in  the  engraving.  The  halter  is 
passed  through  these  holes  and  fastened  in  the  usual 


Fig.  104.— HALTER  STICK  rOR  MARE  WITH  FOAL  AT  FOOT. 

manner.  The  wood  should  be  of  tough  oak  or  hickory, 
60  that  it  will  not  break.  It  entirely  preyents  the  for- 
mation of  loops  in  the  halter. 


TO  KEEP   A   HOESE  FEOM  JUMPING. 

Figure  105  shows  a  hopple  to  restrain  a  horse  from 
jumping.  It  consists  of  a  surcingle  about  the  body  of  the 
horse,  together  with  two  short  straps  that  pass  through 


Kg.  105.— HOPPLE  FOR  A  HORSB. 

the  surcingle  and  around  each  foreleg,  being  buckled  so 
that  when  the  horse  stands  upright,  the  strap  will  fall 
about  half-way  to  the  knees.  This  arrangement,  which 
allows  the  horse  to  walk  quite  freely,  prevents  its  run- 


86  FARM  APPLIAifCES. 

ning  as  well  as  jumping.  A  similar  plan  is  to  connect  the 
forelegs  of  a  horse  by  straps  secured  just  above  the  knee, 
but  those  who  have  tried  both  plans  prefer  the  one  here- 
with illustrated.  Some  horses  are  difficult  to  catch 
when  at  pasture,  and  this  device  will  prove  valuable  in 
such  cases. 


COUPLII^G   HORSES  IN  THE   PASTURE. 

Cut  a  piece  of  tough  wood  two  feet  six  inches 
long,  two  inches  in  diameter ;  shave  off  the  bark  and 
bore  a  three-quarter  or  a  one-inch  hole  near  each  end  ; 
tie  a  piece  of  half -inch  rope  around  each  animal's  neck. 


Fig.  106.— COUPLING  FOR  H0B8BS. 

making  a  loose  collar  that  will  not  slip  over  his  head  ; 
take  a  loop  of  the  rope  and  pass  it  through  a  hole  in  the 
bar,  and  into  the  loop  insert  the  key,  made  of  a  piece  of 
a  half-inch  oak  board,  two  by  three  inches,  shaped  as  in 
figure  106.  The  board  being  rounded  at  the  top,  will 
allow  the  rope  to  turn  easily  in  the  yoke  and  prevent 
choking.  Always  couple  the  animal  that  is  likely  to 
stray  with  the  one  that  is  not.  This  contrivance,  used 
frequently  on  Southern  and  Western  ranges,  is  approved 
by  some  as  safe  and  convenient,  and  condemned  by  others 


THE   BABN,    PASTUKE   AKD   DAIRY.  87 

as  dangerous  and  uncomfortable  for  the  animals.  We 
give  the  illustration  and  description  for  what  they  are 
worth. 


A  SIMPLE  TETHER. 

Figure  107  shows  a  tether  for  a  horse  or  cow  which 
obviates  the  danger  of  an  animal  becoming  entangled  as 
when  staked  out  in  the  usual  way.  It  is  made  as  follows: 
Take  a  stout  piece  of  timber^  a,  h,  three  and  one-half  feet 


Fig.  107.— TETHER  FOR  HORSE. 

long;  fasten  a  ring  at  a,  and  one  at  c,  six  inches  from  the 
lower  end.  Take  a  pole,  c,  d,  making  it  long  enough 
to  extend  back  of  the  animal's  heels  three  or  four  feet, 
and  fasten  a  ring  to  each  end.  An  iron  spike,  /,  with  a 
ring,  e,  in  the  end,  is  driven  in  the  ground.  The  irreg- 
ular line  represents  a  cord  of  wire  of  any  desired  length. 


88  FAEM   APPLIAiJ"CES. 

Fasten  the  rod,  a,  h,  to  the  halter  at  a,  with  a  leather 
strap,  also  c,  d  to  a,  b,  in  the  same  way  at  cj  tie  one  end 
of  the  cord  in  the  ring  at  d,  and  the  other  in  the  ring  in 
the  end  of  the  iron  spike.  The  ring  at  c,  six  inches 
from  the  lower  end,  prevents  taking  up  the  cord,  and 
thus  entangling  the  animal.  The  end,  J,  will  slide  oyer 
it  as  the  animal  grazes. 


CHATI^  CATTLE  TIE. 

Various  methods  have  been  devised  for  coupling  cattle 
in  their  stalls  in  a  more  humane  manner  than  by  stan- 
chions. The  common  chain  tie  passes  about  the  animal's 
neck,  and  slides  up  or  down  upon  a  post  or  iron  rod, 
attached  to  the  stall  or  manger.  The  tie,  figure  108,  is 
similar,  except  that  the  neck-chain  is  connected  with 
two  posts  or  rods,  upon  which  it  slides.  The  improve- 
ment consists  in  using  rings  upon  the  posts,  and  con- 


Fig.   108.— AN  IMPROVED  TIE  FOR  CATTLE. 

necting  the  side-chain  with  the  neck  chain  by  means  of 
snap-hooks,  attached  to  the  central  ring  as  shown  in  the 
engraving.  This  enables  one  to  adjust  the  tie  to  any  width 
of  stall,  say  from  three  to  four  feet,  and  have  it  reason- 
ably taut.  The  advantage  of  this  method  of  fastening 
cattle  over  any  other  is,  that  while  great  freedom  is  given 
the  head,  so  that  a  cow  can  lick  both  sides  and  lie  down 
with  her  head  upon  either  side,  she  has  no  more  back- 


•       THE  BARS',    PASTURE  Ai^D   DAIRY.  89 

ward  and  forward  motion  than  if  she  stood  in  stanchions, 
hence  must  leave  her  droppings  in  the  gutter — if  the 
stall  is  of  the  proper  length.  There  is  a  constant  ten- 
dency to  give  cow  stalls  too  long  a  floor.  Every  cow 
should  lie  with  her  rump  four  to  eight  inches  beyond  the 
floor.  The  only  objection  to  this  is  that  the  cows'  tail 
will  sometimes  become  wet  from  lying  in  the  gutter.  If, 
however,  this  is  given  a  pretty  sharp  fall  and  consider- 
able breadth,  water  will  not  accumulate,  and  there  will 
be  no"  inconvenience  experienced  on  this  score. 


AN  UNPATEl^TED  CALF  FEEDER. 

Undoubtedly  calves  which  take  nourishment  directly 
from  the  cow,  do  better  than  those  which  take  it  from 
the  pail,  unless  care  is  taken  to  feed  them  slowly.     An 


Fig.  109.— CALF  FEEDER. 

artificial  udder  is  shown  in  figure  109,  made  of  strong 
water-proof  duck  in  the  shape  of  a  cow's  udder,  and  fur- 
nished with  teats,  each  filled  with  a  piece  of  sponge.  The 


90  FAKM  APPLIAN^CES.  • 

mouth  of  the  bag  may  be  closed  by  means  of  clamps, 
figure  110,  and  the  bag  hung  up  in  the  calf  pen.  The 
calf  will  get  its  milk  slowly  and  along  with  plenty  of 


Fig.  110. — CLAMPS  FOR  CALF  FEBDEB. 

saliva,  which  is  an  indispensable  aid  to  digestion.  It  is 
the  want  of  an  adequate  quantity  of  saliva  with  the  milk, 
which  causes  so  much  indigestion  in  calves  that  are  al- 
lowed to  drink  milk  from  a  pail. 


TWO   KINDS   OF   MILKING   STOOLS. 

The    construction  of  a  very  good  milking  stool    is 
readily  seen   in  figure  111.     Upon  a  hard-wood  board, 


^ 


Fig.  111.— MILKING  STOOL.  Fig.  112.— MILKING  STOOL. 

twelve  inches  wide,  one  inch  thick,  and  thirty  inches 
long,  fasten  at  right  angles  a  board  to  serve  as  a  rest. 
This  should  be  eight  inches  wide,  and  as  long  as  the 


THE  BARK,    PASTURE  AND  DAIRY.  91 

width  of  the  back-board.  Strengthen  the  seat  with  stout 
braces.  Cut  a  narrow  opening  in  the  long  board,  to 
admit  the  fingers,  by  which  to  carry  the  stool,  or  hang 
it  up  when  not  in  use. 

The  otlier  stool,  figure  112,  is  designed  for  a  man  who 
has  a  good  many  cows  to  milk,  and  desires  to  carry  his 
stool  around  with  him,  while  his  hands  are  left  free.  The 
seat  consists  of  the  bottom  of  a  peach  basket ;  the  single 
leg  is  made  of  a  round  piece  of  wood  securely  fastened 
to  the  center  of  the  seat.  The  latter  may  be  padded  and 
covered  as  one  chooses.  Leather  straps  to  reach  up  and 
around  the  waist  of  the  milker,  as  shown  in  the  illus- 
tration, should  be  firmly  attached  to  the  seat. 


VAT  FOR   DEEP   SETTING   MILK. 

The  advantages  of  the  deep  setting  of  milk  at  a  low 
temperature  can  be  enjoyed  by  means  of  the  simple 
cooler,  figure  113.  To  make  the  cooler  take  six  pine 
planks,  two  inches  thick,  twelve  inches  wide,   and  six 


Fig.  113.— A   COOLER  FOB  SETTING  MILK. 

feet  long,  four  boards  sixteen  and  a  half  inches  long  and 
twelve  inches  wide,  and  construct  a  box  with  the  ends 
gained  in  with  a  groove  a  quarter  of  an  inch  deep. 
Place  a  rubber  strip  between  the  boards,  and  clamp  with 
rods  and  bolts,  to  make  it  as  tight  as  possible.    Provide  a 


92 


FARM  APPLIAl^CES. 


lid  to  keep  out  dust  and  to  shade  from  the  sun.  Place  a 
faucet  at  the  bottom,  by  which  to  run  off  the  water  when 
it  has  become  warm.  Set  the  cooler  near  the  well 
whence  cold  water  can  easily  be  drawn,  and  keep  the  cans 
of  milk  submerged  in  the  water.  If  there  is  a  supply  of 
ice,  the  temperature  of  the  water  may  be  still  further 
reduced,  and  the  cooler  rendered  more  efficient.  A  box 
of  the  size  given  above  will  have  room  for  twelve  three 
gallon  cans. 


HOME-MADE  BUTTER-WORKER. 


The  butter  worker,  figure  114,  is  made  to  stand  upon  a 
table  or  low  bench,  or  when  of  large  size,  upon  the  floor. 
The  lever  works  upon  a  rod  and  can  be  moved  sidewise, 
an  arrangement  which  we  have  seen  in  no  other  butter- 


.  114.— A  SERVICEABLE  BUTTER-WOBKER. 


worker,  but  which  is  a  very  desirable  one.  The  table 
slopes  forward,  and  has  several  grooves  to  carry  the  liquid 
down  to  a  pail  or  a  dish  placed  to  receive  it.  The  lever 
at  the  under  side  is  leveled  to  a  round  or  sharp  edge,  as 
may  be  wished.  The  cost  of  the  worker  is  a  mere  trifle  ; 
it  should  be  made  of  maple^  ash  or  chestnut. 


THE  BARK,    PASTURE  AND  DAIRY.  93 

A  C02SVEKIENCE  TOR  FLY  TIME. 

The  comfort  which  a  cow  seems  to  derive  from  a  free 
use  of  her  tail  during  fly  time,  is  not 
shared  in  any  degree  by  the  milker,  and 
various  means  have  been  devised  to  hold 
the  troublesome  appendage  in  place.  One 
of  the  latest  is  illustrated  in  figure  115. 
Half  a  dozen  six-penny  wire  nails  are 
driven  through  a  piece  of  lath,  and  each 
point  bent  to  a  hook.  A  brick  is  sus- 
pended by  a  string  from  the  lower  end  of 
the  stick.  As  the  milker  sits  down  beside 
the  cow,  the  hooks  are  thrust  into  the 
brush  of  her  tail,  leaving  the  brick  resting 
in  part  on  the  ground  or  barn  floor.  After 

Fig.  115.  —  TAIL- the  first  futile  efforts  to  swing  the  brick 
HOLDER.        \)j  ^ail  power,  the  cows  learn  to  give  it 

up,  and  the  milker  is  free  from  a  very  great  annoyance. 


REINS   FOR   DRIVING   OXEN. 

Figure  116  shows  a  method  of  arranging  the  reins  for 
a  yoke  of  oxen.     Each  ox  has  a  spring  bull-ring  placed  in 


Fig.   116.— DRIVING  OXEN  WITH  REINS. 


^4  FARM  APPLIAKCES. 

his  nose,  and  from  these  rings  small  ropes  run  back  as 
seen  in  the  illustration.  Staples  are  driven  into  the  top 
of  the  yoke  through  which  the  cords  pass.  It  is  claimed 
that  with  these  reins  a  yoke  of  oxen  can  be  guided  and 
controlled  with  ease.  The  rings  are  quickly  removed 
from  the  noses  when  work  hours  are  over. 


VAT  FOR  DIPPIiq^G  SHEEP. 

Sheep  should  be  dipped  twice  a  year.  They  suffer  a 
great  deal  from  vermin,  which  are  destroyed  by  the  dip- 
ping. After  shearing,  the  ticks  greatly  annoy  the  lambs, 
upon  which  they  gather  from  the  shorn  sheep  and  prevent 


Fig.  117.— PORTABLE  VAT. 

their  growth.  The  lambs,  at  least,  should  be  dipped,  to 
free  them  from  these  pests,  but  it  is  well  to  dip  the  whole 
flock,  as  a  safeguard  against  the  prevalent  scab,  and  other 
skin  diseases.  A  very  good  dipping  vat  is  shown  in  fig- 
ure 117.  It  is  made  of  one  and  a  quarter  inch  tongue 
and  grooved  boards,  put  together  at  the  joints  with  pitch, 
and  is  furnished  with  handles,  with  which  it  can  be 
moved  from  place  to  place.  It  may  be  six  feet  long, 
three  feet  wide,  and  three  feet  deep.  The  sloping  ends 
have  cleats  nailed  across  them  on  the  inside,  by  which 
the  sheep  are  assisted  to  get  out  of  the  vat,  upon  a 
draining  floor  placed  to  receive  them.  A  good  dip  is 
made  of  one  pound  of  coarse  tobacco,  and  one  pound 
of  sulphur,  steeped  in  five  gallons  of  boiling  water.     It 


a?HE  BARN,    PASTURE  AKD  DAIRY.  95 

is  most  effective  •when  used  at  a  temperature  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  degrees,  and  the  sheep  should  be 
left  in  the  dip  long  enough  to  have  the  wool  saturated, 
and  the  skin  well  soaked  by  the  fluid.  A  quantity  of 
fresh  dip  should  be  kept  in  a  boiler,  to  renew  "the  old 
dip  as  it  is  diminished  by  use. 


SHEEP-SHEARII^G  BENCH. 

Shearing  benches  will  be  found  desirable,  as  they  save 
the  wearisome  stooping  over  the  sheep.  A  bench  of  this 
kind  is  shown  in  figure  118.  It  is  made  of  stout  strips 
nailed  to  curved  cross-pieces.     These  are  best  bent  by 


Fig.   118.— SHEARING  BENCH. 

steaming  them,  or  soaking  them  in  hot  water  for  some 
hours,  or  sponging  them  frequently  beside  a  hot  fire,  by 
which  the  fiber  is  much  softened  and  the  wood  is  warped 
permanently.  The  legs  are  about  twenty  inches  long. 
Any  dust  on  the  wool  falls  through  the  bars. 


EAR  TAG  PUNCH  FOR  MARKING  ANIMALS. 

A  punch,  which  is  struck  with  a  hammer,  and  even 
the  new  belt-punch  pattern,  now  so  generally  used,  in- 
flict considerable  pain  ;  the  blow  in  one  case,  and  the 
very  considerable  pressure  needful  in  the  other,  are 
both  productive  of  suffering  which  can  just  as  well  be 
avoided.     Some  breeders  have  used  with  entire  satisfac- 


J'ARM  APPLIANCES. 


tion  a  very  simple  eontiivance,  figure  119,  whicli  any  ma- 
chine shop  can  furnish  from  the  engraving  and  descrip- 
tion herewith.  Take  a  piece  of  steel  rod,  say  five  inches 
long  and  about  five-sixteenths  of  an 
~  ,,  inch  in  diameter.  Fix  this  in  a 
''  chuck  and  drill  a  hole  endwise  from 
a  to  J  in  the  engraving,  which  leaves 
that  end  a  hollow  tube,  the  walls 
of  which  are  about  one-thirty-second 
of  an  inch  thick,  supposing  a  one- 
quarter  inch  drill  has  been  used. 
Possibly  a  little  smaller  hole  would 
be  better.  Then  file  a  notch  in  one 
side  at  5,  so  that  it  will  clear  readily. 
Drill  a  small  hole,  c,  near  the  one 
end,  in  which  to  fit  a  short  piece  of 
smaller  wire,  dy  which  forms  a  con- 
Fig.  119.— EAB  PUNCH,  venient  gimlet-like  handle.  When 
finished,  have  it  nicely  filed  to  a 
taper  'at  the  hollow  end,  so  as  to  form  a  thin  cutting 
edge,  which  must  be  kept  quite  sharp.  After  being 
tempered  it  forms  the  best  tool  for  its  work  ever  invented. 
To  use  the  punch,  hold  in  the  left  hand  a  large  cork, 
or  a  small  block  of  wood,  and  carefully  selecting  the 
proper  place  between  the  ribs  or  ridges  of  the  ear,  press 
the  punch  snugly  down,  give  it  a  quick,  sharp  twist,  just 
as  one  would  a  gimlet,  and  the  animal  scarcely  flinches 
at  all,  so  slight  is  the  pain. 


SEWIN-G  UP  WOUNDS  IN  ANIMALS. 


The  winter  season  is  always  prolific  of  accidents,  chiefly 
among  horses,,  which  are  often  badly  blemished  by  cuts 
which  are  left  to  heal  imperfectly,  without  any  assistance. 


THE  BAKK,  PASTURE  Al^J)   DAIRY.        97 

When  a  horse  with  sharp  calks  kicks  another,  or  when  an 
animal  falls  upon  ice,  the  skin  is  usually  cut  in  an  angu- 


Fig.  120. — ^NEEDLE  FOR  SEWING  UP  WOUNDS. 

lar  shape  and  the  flap  of  skin  hangs  over  in  an  unsightly 
manner,  or  in  a  torn  cut  the  skin  gapes  open  and  makes 
a  wound  difficult  to  heal.     As  a  rule,  a  horse's  wound 


f.  121. — WOUND  SEWED  TOGETHER. 


heals  very  rapidly  under  the  simplest  treatment.  A 
curved  needle,  figure  120,  is  used  to  sew  up  severe  wounds 
as  shown  in  figure  121. 


CHAPTEE    V. 

WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTERNS    AND   FILTERS. 

WINDLASS   AN^D  TILTIl^G   BUCKET. 

As  ordinary  pumps  draw  water  only  thirty-three  feet 
perpendicularly,  and  practically  only  about  thirty  feet 
from  the  water  surface,  force-pumps  or  windlasses  are  re- 
quired, for  wells  thirty  or  more  feet  deep.  The  com- 
mon windlass  with  stop  ratchet  serves  a  fair  purpose,  but 
requires  the  bucket  to  be  let  all  the  way  down  by  turn- 


98  FAEM  APPLIANCES. 

ing  the  crank  backward.  Various  forms  of  brakes  have 
been  devised.  Figure  122  shows  the  construction  and  oper- 
ation of  one.  Two  opposite  corner  pieces,  j9,  extend  six 
feet  high  above  the  platform,  and  a  diagonal  piece  connect- 


Fig.  123.— IMPBOVBD  WINDLASS. 

ing  their  upper  ends  supports  a  grooved  pulley  carrying 
the  lifting  rope.  A  hook,  h,  turning  on  a  pivot,  is  thrown 
over  the  lever  h,  and  slid  along  it  far  enough  to  hold  the 
brake  against  the  windlass  firmly,  when  the  hand  is  re- 
moved. A  swinging  iron  rod  catches  in  the  small  pin  on 
the  top  of  the  bucket  as  it  rises,  and  tips  the  water  into 
the  spout.  With  these  little  additions,  a  windlass  and 
bucket  are  better  than  a  pump,  as  the  water  is  drawn 
fresh,  with  no  tainting  from  the  pump  log.  The  actual 
force  required  to  raise  the  same  water  is  less  with  the 
windlass  than  with  the  pump,  as  less  power  is  required 
than  is  wasted  in  the  friction  of  the  close  fitting  valves 
of  the  pump,  and  the  friction  of  the  water  against  the 
side  of  the  tube. 


WELL-CURB   OF  STAVES. 

Figure  123  is  a  very  strong  and  durable  curb  made  of 
staves.     A  cooper  can  make  it,  setting  up  the  staves. 


WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTERNS,   I'lLTERS.  09 

which  are  one  and  one-quarter  inch  thick,  as  for  a  barrel, 
using  three  iron  hoops.  The  shaft  of  the  windlass  is  also 
of  iron,  to  which  a  wooden  cylinder  is  fastened  by  a 


Fig.  123.— A  "  BARREL  "  WELL-CURB. 

couple  of  bolts  driven  through  the  wood  and  iron.  In 
making  the  windlass,  fashion  the  wood  to  the  right  size, 
and  then  split  open  the  cylinder,  cut  a  place  for  the 
shaft,  fit  it  in,  and  then  drive  bands  over  the  ends. 


HEMLOCK  FOR  WELL-CURBS. 

In  many  sections  of  country  stone  is  scarce,  and  plank 
is  used  for  curbing  wells.  Pine  lumber  gives  a  dis- 
agreeable taste  to  water.  Hemlock  lumber  is  usually 
cheaper  than  pine,  and  can  be  obtained  at  most  lumber 
yards.  Five  hundred  feet  of  lumber  are  sufficient  for  a 
well  fourteen  feet  deep,  three  by  four  feet  outside  meas- 
urement. The  four  posts  should  be  four  by  four  inches, 
and  the  planks  two  inches  thick,  fastened  on  with  heavy 
spikes.  Dig  down  until  there  is  danger  of  caving,  and 
then  put  in  the  curb,  with  planks  enough  on  to  reach  the 
surface  of  the  ground.  Afterwards  dig  the  earth  from  the 
inside  of  the  curb,  and  put  on  the  planks  as  fast  as 
needed.     In  some  soils  that  are  loose,  the  weight  of  the 


100 


FARM  APPLIAKCES. 


curb  will  settle  it  down  as  the  work  progresses  ;  should  it 
not,  drive  on  the  posts.  Such  a  curb,  made  of  sound 
hemlock,  will  last  for  years,  and  give  pleasant  water  from 
the  first. 


SECURING  THE  WELL-BUCKET. 


One  who  has  much  experience  with  well- 
buckets,  will  find  they  are  often  set  down 
outside  of  the  curb,  and  not  always  in  a 
clean  place.  In  this  manner  the  water  in 
the  well  may  be  fouled  with  clay,  if  with 
nothing  worse.  Every  person  should  be 
very  careful  to  avoid  anything  that  may 
in  any  degree  tend  to  impair  the  purity 
of  the  water  in  a  well.  One  way  to  secure 
this  end  is  to  have  the  bucket  always  in  a 
safe  place.  This  may  be  done  by  fixing 
a  cord  or  a  chain  to  the  beam  over  the 
pulley,  or  to  the  stirrup  of  the  pulley,  and 
Fig.  124.        fastening  a  hook  to  its  lower  end,  upon 

which  the  bucket  should  always  be  hung  when  not  in  use. 

This  arrangement  for  the  well-bucket  is  made  plain  by 

figure  124. 


CURB  WITH  A  BUCKET  SHELF. 


Another  device  for  keeping  the  bucket  clean  is  shown 
in  figure  125.  An  iron  plate  of  suitable  size  is  held  on 
the  end  of  an  arm  fastened  at  right  angles  to  an  upright 
iron  rod.  The  bottom  of  this  rod  rests  upon  an  iron  pro- 
jecting from  the  corner  of  the  curb,  and  the  top  is  held 
in  place  by  an  eye-rod.     The  filled  bucket  is  raised  high 


WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTERNS,    FILTEKS. 


101 


enough  so  that  the  plate  is  placed  directly  under  it.    Let 
up  on  tlie  windlass  when  the  bucket  is  secure  on  the 


Fig.  125.— A  BUCKET   SHELF. 

plate,  and  it  may  he  swung  to  one  side  without  straining 
the  back,  or  danger  of  slipping  when  it  is  icy. 


COVERED  WELL-CURBS. 


Figure  126  is  a  desirable  covering  for  a  well-curb.  The 
upper  part  of  the  curb  is  floored  over,  except  about  a  foot 
and  a  half  in  the  center.  Cleats,  r,  r,  are  nail  3d  along 
two  opposite  sides  of  the  bucket-holes  and  upon  these,  at 


Fig.  126.— A  WELL-OUBB  COVERING. 

one  end,  is  placed  a  strip,  g.     A  wide  board  is  made  to 
fit  and  slide  in  the  grooves  formed  by  the  cleats.     The 


103  FARM   APPLIANCES. 

wooden  pins,  a,  a,  project  above  the  cover,  and  answer 
as  handles  for  sliding  it  as  desired. 

Figure  3  27  shows  a  covered  well  curb,  which  is  safe 
against  worms,  frogs  and  other  vermin  ;  and  also  against 
the  entrance  of  surface  water,  leaves  anc\  other  objects. 
The  wall  of  the  well  is  carried  up  to  the  surface  of  the 


Fig.— 127.— A  SAFE  WELL  CTTRB. 

ground,  and  clean  gravel  is  spread  around  it  and  beaten 
down  firmly.  A  frame  of  four  by  four-inch  chestnut  is 
then  bedded  down  level  with  this  surface,  and  a  floor  of 
two-inch  planks,  with  matched  edges,  is  laid  down,  pro- 
jecting a  little  over  the  raised  gravel,  as  shown  in  the 
engraving.  The  ground  slopes  from  the  floor  in  all  di- 
rections, and  should  be  neatly  sodded.  The  best  cov- 
ering, being  indestructible,  is  a  large  flagstone  ;  or,  it  may 
be  made  with  several  pieces  and  bedded  in  mortar.  The 
curb  is  built  around  the  well,  large  enough  to  give  stand- 
ing room  for  the  bucket  at  one  corner  ;  it  should  be  no 
higher  than  is  convenient  to  reach  over  it  to  use  the 
bucket.  A  spout  is  fixed  to  the  front,  into  which  the 
bucket  is  emptied  without  lifting  it  over  the  curb.  The 
curb  is  protected  on  top  with  one  fixed  and  one  hinged 
wire  gauze  covered  frame.  The  hinged  one  is  thrown 
back  and  rests  against  a  support,  if  desired,  as  shown, 
or  it  may  fall  entirely  back  upon  the  other  one.     This 


WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTERNS,    FILTERS.  103 

wire  gauze  admits  air,  but  keeps  out  leaves  and  other 
trash,  which  is  blown  about  by  the  winds.  An  open  curb 
like  this  keeps  the  air  in  the  well  pure,  the  water  clean, 
and  in  some  respects  it  is  preferable  to  a  pump.  • 


IMPURE  WATER  IN  WELLS. 

It  becomes  more  and  more  evident  each  year  that  mucli 
of  the  sickness  prevalent  in  the  country  is  directly  at- 
tributable to  the  quality-  of  the  water.  By  carefully 
studying  the  matter,  it  is  found  that  in  nine  cases  out  of 
ten  typhoid  fevers  originate  in  families  whose  water  sup- 
ply is  from  a  well,  into  which  impure  water  comes.  This 
may  be  from  the  farm  yard,  and  quite  generally  such  is 
the  case.  For  some  years  the  water  in  a  well  near  the 
house  may  be  pure  and  wholesome,  but  by-and-bye  the 
soil  between  it  and  the  barn-yard  will  become  so  im- 
pregnated with  pollution  that  an  unhealthful  quality  will 
be  imparted  to  it,  and  disease  will  result  from  its  use. 
This  is  almost  sure  to  be  the  case  when  the  distance  be- 
tween the  two  is  not  great,  because,  as  a  general  thing, 
the  bottom  of  the  well  is  lower  than  the  yard,  and  the 
drainage  from  the  latter  will  extend  in  all  directions 
through  the  most  porous  strata  of  soil,  and  when  it 
reaches  the  well,  it  will  naturally  flow  into  it  as  a  reser- 
voir. No  matter  how  pure  the  water  may  have  been  when 
the  well  was  first  dug,  sooner  or  later  it  will  be  contami- 
nated by  water  flowing  through  the  soil  from  barn-yards 
and  cesspools  located  anywhere  near  it.  A  case  is  on 
record  in  which  four  children  died  from  diphtheria. 
An  examination  by  the  physician  proved  that  the  slops 
from  the  kitchen  had  so  filled  the  soil  for  a  distance  of 
twenty  feet  between  the  back  door,  out  of  which  they 
were  thrown,  and  the  well,  that  the  water  in  the  latter 


104 


FARM   APPLIANCES. 


was  polluted  by  foul  gases,  and  from  the  use  of  it  diph- 
theria had  certainly  resulted.  When  making  a  well, 
have  it,  if  possible,  above  the  barn-yard,  and  let  the 
drainage -be  from  it  rather  than  into  it.  Arrange  a  place 
for  slops  with  a  cement  bottom  and  sides,  from  which 
glazed  pipes,  cemented  together,  allow  the  unhealthy 
matter  to  flow  off  and  away  from  the  well. 


HOOK  FOR  CLEANING    WELLS. 

Every  farmer  who  has  open  wells,  knows  how  dilB&cult 
and  tiresome  a  task  it  is,  to  extricate  articles  which  have 
fallen  into  them,  but  figure  128  shows  a  contrivance 
which  has  been  used  successfully.  Find  the  depth  of  the 
well  and  cut  off  as  many  eight  or  ten-foot 
lengths,  four  inches  wide,  of  inch  boards, 
as  will,  when  fastened  together,  reach  to  the 
bottom  of  the  well.  Sharpen  the  end  of  one 
length  to  a  point,  as  a  in  the  engraving ; 
bolt  or  nail  a  cross-piece  h,  three  or  four 
inches  above  the  point  a,  making  one  side 
a  little  longer  than  the  other,  and  about 
three  inches  shorter  than  the  radius  of  the 
well.  Fasten  upon  the  cross-piece  three 
pieces  of  chain,  each  about  ten  inches  long, 

n*-^  at  equal  distance  from  each  other.  Make 
^  double  hooks  out  of  one-eighth  inch  wire, 
or  old  bucket  bails ;  sharpen  the  ends,  and 
^^*  *  attach  them  to  the  chains.  Bolt  the  lengths 
of  boards  together  closely  ;  let  the  cross-piece  and  hooks 
down  into  the  well,  tightening  the  bolt  at  the  end  of 
each  length  as  it  passes,  until  the  point  reaches  the  bot- 
tom. Now  turn  the  contrivance,  causing  the  hook  to 
describe  several  circles  at  the  bottom  of  the  well.  The 
article  sought  for  will  probably  be  caught  by  the  hooks  ; 


WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTEEKS,    FILTERS. 


105 


besides  a  good  many  other  things  not  looked  for  will 
perhaps  be  brought  up. 


A  NOK-FREEZING   PUMP. 


One  of  the  simplest  methods  of  preventing  a  pump 
from  freezing  is  shown  in  figure  129.  The  pump  is 
boxed  from  the  platform  to  six  inches  or  more  above  the 
spout,  the  box  being  made  large  enough  to  admit  of  a 


Fig.  129.— PUMP  PROTECTOR. 

packing  of  sawdust  or  spent  tan  bark  between  it  and  the 
pump-stock  ;  or  the  pump-stock  can  be  well  wrapped 
with  heavy  hardware  paper  and  then  boxed  tightly, 
which  will  effectually  keep  out  almost  any  ordinary  de- 
gree of  cold.  It  is  well  to  have  the  platform  double- 
boarded,  running  each  layer  of  boards  in  opposite  direc- 
tions, and  mounding  up  well  around  the  platform  with 
earth,  to  still  further  protect  against  cold. 


AGITATIOl^  OF  AIR  IN  WELLS. 

One  great  objection  to  the  old  style  of  log  pump  is  the 
non-ventilation  of  the  well.  The  platform  is  made  as 
tight  and  close-fitting  as  possible,  to  prevent  dirt^  vermiix 


106 


FARM   APPLIANCES. 


etc.,  from  getting  into  the  water.  By  the  use  of  a  chain 
pump  there  is  enough  to  agitate  the  air  and  water  and  to 
prevent  stagnation  in  either.  By  means  of  a  cheap, 
simple  contrivance,  shown  in  figure  130,  all  wells  may 


Fig.  130.— AGITATOR  FOB  WELL. 


have  an  abundant  supply  of  fresh  air.  In  the  illustra- 
tion, h  is  the  wooden  or  metal  tube  of  a  common  lift  or 
force  pump ;  «,  is  the  handle  to  which  is  attached, 
three  or  four  inches  from  where  it  is  hinged  to  the  pump, 
a  small  wooden  or  metal  rod,  h.  If  this  rod  is  of  wood, 
it  need  not  be  over  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter, 
and  if  a  metal  one  three-eights  of  an  inch  will  answer. 
It  runs  from  the  handle  downward  to  and  along  side  of 
the  pump-tube,  shown  at  h,  passing  through  two  or 
more  closely-fitting  staples,  and  extends  to  within  two 
feet  of  the  high  water  mark.  It  is  provided  at  the  lower 
end  with  an  arm,  or  more  properly  speaking,  a  fan,  e, 


WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTERNS,    FILTERS.  107 

which  should  be  of  some  light  material,  such  as  a  thin 
board  or  piece  of  sheet  iron  or  tin,  eight  or  nine  inches 
square.  It  is  evident  that  the  act  of  pumping  will  move 
this  fan  up  and  down,  from  three  to  five  inches  at  each 
stroke  of  the  handle,  producing  a  movement  of  the  air 
within  the  well.  By  continuing  the  rod  downward  for  a 
few  feet,  and  attaching  to  the  end  a  block  of  wood  two 
or  three  inches -square,  the  water  will  also  be  sufficiently 
agitated  to  prevent  stagnation. 


DEEPENIiq-G  WELLS. 

Many  wells  which  fail  during  long  drouths,  could  be 
made,  by  deepening  a  few  feet,  to  yield  an  abundant  and 
unfailing  supply  of  water.  But  it  is  difficult  to  accom- 
plish this  by  ordinary  means,  without  endangering  the 
wall  with  which  the  well  is  lined.  Figures  131  to  135  show 
a  set  of  appliances  by  which  the  work  may  be  safely  done 
without  danger  to  the  wall,  even  in  sandy  or  gravelly 
soil.  Figure  131  is  a  sort  of  well-auger  of  galvanized 
iron,  five  inches  in  diameter,  and  of  any  desired  length, 
from  fourteen  to  twenty  inches.  Before  it  is  bent  in 
shape,  a  bias  strip  is  cut  from  its  lower  edge,  giving  it 
the  shape  shown  in  the  engraving.  The  rod  by  which  it 
is  worked  is  of  wrought  iron  pipe  one  inch  in  diameter. 
A  T  is  screwed  on  its  summit,  to  receive  the  handle,  of 
ash,  or  other  tough  wood.  Figure  132  is  a  cylinder,  also 
of  galvanized  sheet-iron,  six  inches  in  diameter  and  two 
feet  long.  It  is  reinforced  at  each  end  by  iron  bands 
riveted  on,  and  is  perforated  throughout  with  thin  slits 
for  the  admission  of  water  when  in  position.  Figure  133 
is  the  head  of  the  augar.  It  is  of  inch  board,  upon 
which  is  screwed  a  flange  with  a  thread,  to  receive  the 
lower  end  of  the  hollow  rod.  Figure  135  represents  a 
pross-section  pf  this  head-piece.    At  th^  low^r  Qi^d  of  the 


108 


FARM  APPLIAIfCES. 


auger -tube  is  the  piece  shown  in  figure  134.-  This  is  a 
circular  piece  of  galvanized  iron,  cut  five  inches  in  di- 
ameter, slitted  from  one  side  to  the  center,  and  the  cut 
edges  bent  to  spiral  or  screw-shape.     This  is  soldered 


Fig.  131:— WELL    Fig.  132.— otlin- 

AUGEE.  DEB. 


Fig.  135. 


into  the  lower  end  of  the  auger-tube,  as  shown  by  dotted 
lines  in  figure  131.  A  large  hole  on  one  side  near  the 
top,  not  shown  in  the  engraving,  serves  to  empty  the 
tube  of  sand  and  dirt.  To  operate  this,  the  cylinder  is 
first  pushed  down  as  far  as  practicable  into  the  bottom 
of  the  well.  With  the  auger  the  earth  is  removed  from 
inside  the  cylinder.  As  the  work  of  excavation  proceeds, 
the  cylinder  is  pushed  down  until  its  upper  edge  is  level 
with  the  bottom  of  the  well.  If  a  sufficient  vein  of 
W^ter  is  not  then  reached,  the  boring  goes  on,   and  a 


WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTERKS,    FILtEKS.  109 

second  cylinder  follows  the  first.  This  makes  an  addi- 
tional depth  of  four  feet,  which  is  generally  sufficient. 
If  not,  the  process  can  be  continued  by  providing  ad- 
ditional cylinders,  and  splicing  the  auger -stem  until  a 
permanent  water-vein  is  found. 


DIGGIKG   A  WELL. 

A  hole  is  dug  down  and  the  earth  thrown  out  as  far 
as  could  be  done,  and  then  a  ladder  is  rigged  up  on 
three  stakes  as  shown  in  figure  136.  A  pulley  is  at- 
tached to  one  round,  a  cord  thrown  over  it  and  fastened 


Fig.  136. — DIGGING  A  DAKOTA  WELL. 

to  a  pail,  the  other  end  of  the  rope  reaching  into  the  well. 
The  pail  is  filled  and  drawn  to  the  surface,  where  it 
is  swung  to  one  side,  emptied  and  returned  for  an- 
other load.  The  upper  end  of  the  ladder  should  be 
elevated  about  six  feet  -above  the  ground. 


HOW    TO   BUILD   A   CISTERN. 

Every  part  around  the  surface  of  a  cistern  should  be 
made  close.  The  beams  which  support  the  floor  should 
be  bedded  in  the  wall,  or  shoulder  of  the  cistern,  and 


110 


FARM  APPLIANCES. 


covered  with  lime  or  cement  mortar,  leaving  a  smooth 
surface  all  around  the  first  floor.  This  should  then  be 
covered  with  a  second  floor,  raised  eight  or  ten  inches  on 
a  frame  of  two  by  ten  joists,  made  of  cedar  or  chestnut. 


Fig.  137.— FBOST-PROOF  CISTERN. 

The  earth  should  be  packed  closely  against  this  frame, 
and  the  top  floor  should  extend  a  few  inches  beyond  the 
frame  all  around.  The  cistern  is  then  frost  and  vermin 
proof.  Another  important  point  is  to  get  rid  of  the  sed- 
iment that  gathers  at  the  bottom  of  every  cistern.  This 
is  done  by  carrying  the  overflow  pipe  to  the  bottom  of 
the  cistern  on  a  line  with  the  inlel  pipe,  and  thus  form- 
ing a  current  which  disturbs  the  sediment  and  carries  it 
into  the  overflow.  This  is  shown  in  figure  137,  also  the 
arrangement  of  the  draw-pipe,  which  should  have  a  fine 
wire  strainer  on  the  end,  and  should  rest  upon  a  support 
near  the  bottom  of  a  fine  strainer,  at  least  two  feet  high. 
A  piece  of  one-quarter  inch  mesh  of  galvanized  wire 
gauze,  bent  into  a  pipe  a  foot  in  diameter,  and  covered 


WilLLS,    PUMPS,    CISTER]SrS,    FILl^ERS.  Ill 

with  thick  flannel  cloth,  doubled,  makes  a  filter  for  the 
water. 


WATER  IN^  THE  BARK  YARD. 

Water  in  the  barn  yard  is  a  great  economy  and  con- 
venience ;  by  a  little  management  it  can  be  secured  with 
ease.  The  difficulties  in  the  way,  are  chiefly  in  bringing 
the  water  down  hill,  oyer  an  elevation  midway,   and 


Fig.  138. — CONVEYING  WATER  BY  SIPHON. 

in  bringing  it  up  hill,  from  a  spring  or  well  below  the 
level.  In  the  former  case,  a  siphon  must  be  used,  as 
shown  in  figure  138.  It  consists  of  a  pipe,  one  end  of 
which  is  under  the  surface  of  the  water  in  a  well  or 
spring,  and  carried  over  a  ridge,  and  down  a  slope,  to  a 
lower  level.  This  method  is  open  to  one  objection, 
which  nearly  always  gives  trouble.  There  is  more  or 
less  air  dissolved  in  water;  this  dissolved  air  escapes, 
as  the  water  is  flowing  through  the  pipe,  and  gathers  at 
the  highest  point,  where  it  stops  the  flow.  To  remove 
this  air,  the  following  arrangement  is  made.  A  short 
pipe,  furnished  with  a  stop  cock  and  a  funnel,  is  fitted 
to  the  highest  point  of  the  siphon.  When  the  flow 
begins  to  be  obstructed  by  air,  the  stop  cock  afc  the  lower 
end  of  the  pipe  is  shut,  and  that  at  the  top  is  opened. 


112  ^AEM  A1»PLIANCES. 

The  pipe  is  then  filled  with  water  through  the  funnel. 
The  water  is  held  in  the  pipe  by  a  check  valve  at 
the  bottom  of  the  well  pipe.  The  air  is  thus  driven  out 
of  the  siphon,  and  the  top  stop-cock  is  shut.  The  flow 
is  started  by  opening  the  lower  stop-cock,  and  all  goes 


Fig.  139. — RAISING  WATER  BY  FORCE  PUMP. 

on  again,  until  the  air  gathers  in  the  pipe  once  more, 
when  the  remedy  is  repeated.  To  draw  water  up  hill, 
by  a  pump,  the  method  seen  in  figure  139  is  used  :  The 
pipe,  having  a  check  valve  at  the  bottom,  is  laid  from 
the  spring,  up  the  incline,  and  connected  with  a  force 
pump,  in  a  dry  well,  at  the  top.  Water  can  be  raised  in 
this  manner,  from  about  twenty-eight  or  thirty  feet 
below  the  bottom  of  the  dry  well,  and  for  a  distance  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty,  or  three  hundred  feet,  or  more. 
The  linear  distance  is  not  an  obstacle,  except  lot  the  fric- 
tion in  the  pipes  ;  it  is  the  perpendicular  height  alone, 
which  gives  serious  trouble,  and  about  twenty-eight  or 
thirty  feet,  is  all  that  can  be  overcome  by  means  of  a 
suction  pump.  A  force  pump  is  useful  to  raise  the  water 
eight  or  ten  feet  more  than  this,  when  necessary.  This^ 
method  is  shown  in  the  engraving. 

WOODEI^   WATER   PIPES. 

For  conveying  water  any  distances  less   than  fifteen 
rods,  and  where  the  amount  desired  is  greater  than  can 


WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTEKKS,    FILTERS.  113 

be  supplied  by  a  half-inch  pipe,  wooden  tubing  will  be 
found  cheaper  than  iron,  lead,  or  other  metallic  pipes. 
Wooden  tubing,  of  from  one  and  a  quarter  to  two-inch 
bore,  may  be  obtained  of  all  hardware  dealers.  In  pur- 
chasing observe  that  the  ends  are  iron -banded,  to  prevent 
splitting  when  placed  together,  and  to  prevent  the  tubes 
from  bursting  when  under  a  heavy  head  of  water.  Be- 
fore the  pipe  is  laid,  it  is  best  to  give  it  one  or  two  coats 
of  oil ;  even  crude  petroleum  will  do  ;  this  adds  greatly 
to  the  durability.  In  pipes  through  which  there  is  a 
constant  flow  of  water,  there  is  little  danger  of  decay  ;  in 
fact,  some  old-fashioned  pump  logs  which  have  been  re- 
moved after  nearly  fifty  years  of  use,  were  found  sound 
on  the  inside.  Wooden,  as  well  as  other  pipes  convey- 
ing water,  should  be  laid  below  the  frost  line.  If  the 
water  is  intended  for  drinking  purposes,  place  the  pipe 
at  least  three  feet  under  ground,  and  if  in  sandy,  porous 
soils,  to  a  still  greater  depth.  After  the  pipe  is  in  posi- 
tion, and  before  the  water  is  admitted,  pour  hot  coal-tar 
over  it,  especially  at  each  joint,  which  is  readily  done  by 
using  a  watering  pot  or  an  old  tea  or  coffee-pot.  Always 
test  wooden  and  other  pipes-  after  they  are  laid,  by  ad- 
mitting water  before  covering  them  with  soil,  in  order 
that  a  leak,  if  found,  may  be  easily  stopped. 


FILTERS  FOR  FAMILY  USE. 

Almost  every  country  store  is  in  more  or  less  direct 
communication  with  some  pottery,  where  salt-glazed 
ware  is  made.  Lead-glazed  ware  should  be  avoided,  but 
the  salt-glazed  is  both  cheap  and  safe.  Any  pottery  will 
furnish  to  order,  or  they  may  have  them  on  hand,  five  or 
six  gallon  cylindrical  jars  of  glazed  ware,  having  a  spigot 
hole  in  the  side  close  to  the  bottom,  and  the  usual  jar  lid. 
A  common  flower  pot  of  large  size  should  be  selected, 


114 


FARM  APPLIAKCES. 


which  will  just  fit  in  the  top  of  the  jar,  as  shown  in 
figure  140.  This  pot  is  the  filter,  and  it  is  thus  ar- 
ranged :  The  bottom  is  covered  by  a  circular  piece  of 


Fig.  140. 

FARM  WATER  FILTER. 


Fi^.  141. 
A  SERVICEABLE   FILTER. 


thick  woolen  felt,  or  two  or  three  pieces  of  blanket, 
upon  this  is  placed  a  layer  an  inch  thick  of  well-washed 
sand.  Note  that  the  sand,  being  well  washed,  the  felt 
or  blanket  pieces  should  be  so  also.  Now  upon  the  sand, 
freshly  burned,  soft  wood  charcoal,  which  should  be 
freshly  heated,  free  from  all  dust,  and  about  the  size  of 
grains  of  wheat,  should  be  laid  in  to  the  depth  of  six 
inches  more,  and  upon  this  an  inch  of  sand,  and  another 
pad  of  felt  or  blanket  to  top  off  with.  Fit  up  two 
flower  pots  for  each  filter,  and  keep  those  not  in  use 
covered  and  clean.  The  water  is  poured  into  the  flower 
pot.  A  clean  lump  of  clear  ice,  whole  or  broken  up, 
may  be  placed  in  the  jar  below  the  pot,  and  then  the 
water  is  fit  for  anybody's  use. 

The  filter  shown  in  figure  141   is    made   of  a  stout 
oak   barrel   with  iron  hoops.     The   head  is  taken'  out 


WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTERN^S,   FILTERS.  115 

carefully  and  a  number  of  holes  are  bored  through 
it  with  a  half -inch  auger,  then  five  or  six  oaken  blocks, 
about  three  inches  long,  are  nailed  to  the  under  side. 
It  is  then  placed  in  the  barrel  for  a  false  bottom. 
On  this  spread  a  layer  of  coarse  gravel  about  two 
inches  thick,  then  another  of  finer  gravel ;  on  this 
spread  eight  inches  of  charcoal ;  then  add  a  six-inch 
layer  of  gravel,  and  on  top  place  washed  sand  up  to 
within  an  inch  of  the  overflow  pipe.  Over  this  sand  fit 
in  the  barrel  a  cover  made  of  inch  pine  boards.  In  the 
center  of  this  cut  an  opening  ten  inches  square.  Then 
make  a  low  frame  a  little  larger  than  the  opening,  cover 
both  sides  with  cheese  cloth,  and  fasten  securely  over  the 
open  space  in  the  head,  but  in  such  a  manner  that  it  can 
be  easily  removed  again.  The  object  of  this  covering 
being  to  prevent  sand  from  escaping  into  the  cistern,  it 
becomes  sometimes  necessary,  after  heavy  rains,  to  take 
up  the  frame  and  wash  the  cloth. 

The  rain  water  flows  into  the  barrel  through  a  pipe 
between  the  real  and  the  false  bottom.  About  four  feet 
above  the  cask  the  leader  from  the  roof  should  enter  a 
tin  box,  with  a  partition  in  the  middle  that  comes  within 
about  two  inches  of  the  top.  This  partition  separates 
the  pipe  that  flows  into  the  cask  from  the  waste  pipe, 
and  the  leader  from  the  roof  can  be  made  to  discharge  on 
either  side,  as  may  be  desired.  Near  the  bottom 
of  the  barrel  should  be  a  large  faucet  or  bung-hole, 
through  which  all  the  water  may  be  drawn  off  and 
the  filter  cleaned.  By  pulling  out  the  bung  or  opening 
the  faucet,  and,  after  the  water  has  run  out,  pouring 
several  bucketfuls  of  water  on  the  sand  at  the  top,  all 
impurities  are  washed  out  and  carried  off  ;  in  fact,  it  is 
best  to  let  out  the  water  after  every  rain.  If  this  filter 
is  well  made,  and  the  cask  painted,  it  will  last  many 
years  and  do  good  service. 


116 


FARM  APPLIAKCES. 


CONNECTING  CISTERNS. 

When  it  is  desired  to  connect  a  new  cistern  with  an 
old  one  without  loss  of  water,  it  can  be  done  as  shown  in 
figure  142.     Whatever  the  distance  apart,  provide  a  two- 


Fig.  143.— CONNBCTINa  TWO  CISTEBNS. 

inch  iron  pipe,  a,  long  enough  to  extend  from  the  inside 
of  the  new  well  to  the  outside  of  the  old  one,  and  fit 
upon  the  right  end  of  it  by  screw  thread  the  pipe,  h, 
long  enough  to  extend  well  through  the  old  wall.  Build 
a  into  the  new  well,  and  close  its  left  end  with  a  wooden 
plug,  p.  When  ready,  pump  or  syphon  the  water  from 
the  old  to  the  new  cistern.  Then  open  the  old  wall, 
screw  I  on  to  a,  and  cement  around  b.  When  ready, 
witli  a  rod  or  bar,  knock  out  the  plug,  which  will  float  to 
the  top,  and  the  water  will  stand  at  a  level  in  both  cis- 
terns. A  connecting  five  or  six-inch  glaze  ware  or  iron 
pipe,  c,  should  be  put  in  on  a  level  with  the  overflow 
pipe,  0.  One  pump  and  one  overflow  pipe  answer  for 
both  cisterns. 


WELLS,   PUMPS,    CISTERNS,    FILTEES.  117 

BUILD  AND  DIMENSION  OF  CISTERNS. 

In  a  stiJBt  clay  soil  a  small  cistern  of  twenty  to  forty 
barrels  capacity  might  be  safely  cemented  directly  to  the 
earth,  but  in  ordinary  soils  and  for  larger  cisterns,  a  good 
four-inch-wall  of  hard  brick  is  on  the  whole  the  cheap- 
est. It  is  important  to  make  the  excavation  smooth,  so 
that  the  bricks  can  be  pressed  firmly  against  the  earth  ; 
otherwise  these  will  be  pushed  out  and  the  cement  cracked, 
causing  a  leak.  As  to  the  dimensions,  a  cistern  should 
be  about  one-fourth  deeper  below  the  spring  of  the  arch, 
than  its  width  inside.  By  this  rale  a  cistern  eight  feet 
wide  will  be  ten  feet  deep  below  the  arch.  At  the  top  is 
a  cast  iron  ring,  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  for  the  man- 
hole, coTered  with  a  tight  fitting  cast  iron  lid.  The 
ring  has  a  flange  two  inches  wide  extending  out  over  the 
brick.  The  capacity  of  a  cistern  needed  to  save  all  the 
water  from  a  given  extent  of  roof,  will  depend  on  the 
total  annual  rainfall,  its  distribution  throughout  the 
year,  and  the  regularity  with  which  it  is  used.  A  roof 
ninety  feet  by  twenty  feet  contains  eighteen  hundred 
square  feet.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the  measure  of  the 
building  on  the  ground  and  not  the  shingled  surface.  In 
the  vicinity  of  New  York  the  average  annual  rainfall  is 
about  forty-two  inches,  or  three  and  a  half  feet.  This 
would  give  sixty- three  hundred  cubic  feet  of  water  (1,800 
ft.  X  3y3=6,300).  Since  in  that  climate  the  rain  is  dis- 
tributed pretty  regularly  through  the  year,  it  would  only 
be  necessary  to  provide  storage  capacity  for  about  one-third 
of  the  rainfall  of  the  year,  or  twenty-one  hundred  cubic 
feet.  This  divided  by  four  and  one-fifth  (the  approxi- 
mate number  of  cubic  feet  in  a  barrel  of  thirty-one  and 
a  half  gallons)  gives  five  hundred  barrels,  and  this  quantity 
of  water  demands  a  cistern,  thirteen  feet  diameter,  to  be 
nearly  sixteen  feet  deep  below  the  arch,  or  a  square  one, 
thirteen  feet  across,  to  be  nearly  twelve  and  a  half  feet 


118 


FARM  APPLIANCES. 


deep ;  or  a  round  one,  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  would  need 
to  be  about  twelve  feet  deep.  In  the  far  West — in  fact, 
in  most  places  west  of  the  Missouri — the  rainfall  is 
largely  during  the  six  months  beginning  with  March, 
and  cisterns  need  a  greater  storage  capacity. 


CISTEBNS  WITH    FILTERS. 

Complaints  are  frequent  of  the  impure  water  of  cis- 
terns. This  is  inevitable  under  the  careless  manage- 
ment of  these  useful  additions  to  the  water  supply,  and 
is  a  fruitful  source  of  what  are  called  **  malarial  dis- 


Fig.  143.— A  COMPLETE  CISTERN. 

eases."  A  roof  gathers  a  large  quantity  of  impure  mat- 
ter, dead  insects,  droppings  of  birds,  dust,  dead  leaves, 
pollen  from  trees,  etc.,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  washed  into 
the  cistern,  unless  some  means  are  taken  to  prevent  it. 
Even  then  the  water  should  be  filtered  before  it  is  used 
for  culinary  purposes.  One  way  of  preventing  foul  mat- 
ter from  entering  the  cistern,  is  to  have  the  leader  mov- 


-SI 

WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTEBJTS,    FILTERS* 


119 


able,  and  swing  from  a  waste  pipe  to  the  cistern  pipe,  shown 
on  the  left  side  of  figure  143.     In  dry  weather  the  pipe 


Fig.  144.— COMPLETE  CISTERN  AND   FILTER. 

is  turned  over  the  w^aste,  and  after  the  rain  has  fallen  for 
a  sufficient  time  to  wash  off  the  roofs  and  gutters,  it  is 
turned  into  the  cistern  pipe.  The  cistern,  figure  143  is 
provided  with  a  soft  brick  wall  laid  in  cement,  through 
which  the  water  filters,  coming  out  by  the  pump  per- 
fectly pure,  and  free  from  unpleasant  odors.     Rain  water 


Fig.  145.— FILTER  FOR   A  BARN  CISTERN. 

standing  for  months  in  Impurities  and  filth,  cannot  al- 
ways be  purified  by  simply  soaking  through  a  brick  wall, 


120 


FARM  APPLIAKCES. 


but  should  be  filtered  as  soon  as  it  falls.  The  main  cis- 
tern, figure  144,  is  made  egg-shaped,  to  hold  one  hun- 
dred barrels.  The  filter  is  flat-bottomed.  The  end  of 
the  pipe  from  the  filter  to  the  cistern  is  built  solid 


Fig.  146.— A  HOUSE  FILTERING  CISTEBN. 

around  the  end  with  brick.  All  water  has  to  pass 
through  the  brick.  The  filter  is  filled  half  full  with 
charcoal,  sand  and  gravel  in  layers — one  layer  of  each — 
the  charcoal  covering  the  bricks,  then  sand  and  gravel 
on  top.  The  water,  as  soon  as  it  falls,  begins  to  filter 
and  passes  into  the  cistern,  where  iu  stands  free  from 
impurities.  The  filter  is  built  to  hold  twenty-five  barrels 
of  water,  but  is  half  full  of  the  filtering  material. 

Figure  145  shows  a  good  filter  for  a  barn  cistern.  The 
top  of  it  consists  of  broken  stones,  with  a  flat  stone  to 
receive  the  influx,  so  placed  as  to  prevent  heavy  rains 
from  disturbing  the  broken  stones.  This  has  a  cover, 
movable  in  part,  to  permit  it  to  be  cleaned  out  occasion- 
ally. Figure  146  is  a  filtering  cistern  for  a  house.  The 
inlet  pipe  is  at  a,  the  draw  pipe  is  at  c.   and  this  is  con- 


WELLS,    PUMPS,    CISTER15S,    FILTERS. 


121 


nected  with  a  set  of  cross-pipes,  laid  in  the  coarse  gravel 
in  the  bottom,  and  pierced  with  a  number  of  small  holes. 


as  seen  in  figure  147,  by  which  the  outflow  is  made  quite 
easy  and  abundant. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

APPLIANCES  FOR  HANDLING  HAY  AND  CORN 
FODDER. 


REVOLVING   HORSE   RAKE. 

Figure  148  shows  a  strong,  cheap  and  efficient  horse 
rake.  It  is  especially  useful  in  raking  corn-stalks  that 
have  been  cut  by  a  mower  or  otherwise,  and  tall  reeds 
and  other  rubbish,  which  it  is  desirous  to  rake  into  wind- 
rows preparatory  to  burning.  It  can  also  be  adapted  to 
the  raking  of  hay  and  straw,  by  making  the  teeth  lighter 
and  placing  them  six  inches  or  less  apart. 

Figure  149  represents  the  rake  and  shafts,  a  being  a 
six  by  eix-inch  beam,  ten  feet  long.     This  revolving  rake 


122 


FARM  APPLIANCES. 


can  be  made  longer  or  shorter  as  desired,  but  when  more 
than  nine  or  ten  feet  long,  it  is  not  easily  drawn  through 
ordinary  farm  gates.  The  teeth  are  made  of  some  kind 
of  tough  wood,  well  seasoned,  two  inches  square,  and  the 


Fig.  148.— BODY  OP 


pieces  cut  about  four  feet  long.  They  are  then  tapered 
slightly  toward  the  ends,  and  trimmed  in  the  middle  to 
fit  in  holes  bored  with  a  two-inch  auger  ;  thus  prepared, 
they  are  inserted  one  foot  apart,  and  secured  in  place 
with  light  bolts.  At  J,  5,  the  beam  is  rounded  to  form 
journals,  and  around  these  the  ends  of  the  shafts  can  be 


Fig.  149. — RAKE  WITH  SHAFTS. 

bent,  as  seen  in  figure  149,  or  pieces  of  old  iron,  as  the 
tire  of  an  old  wheel,  may  be  curved  round  and  secured  to 
the  shafts.  Two  stout  pieces  of  the  same  length  as  the 
teeth,  and  at  right  angle  to  those,  are  inserted  between 
the  shafts.     These  rest  on  the  lever,  d,  when  the  rake  is 


HANDLING   HAY   AND   COEN   FODDER. 


123 


moving,  and  serve  to  hold  it  in  position  with  the  teeth 
pointed  toward  the  ground.  The  lever  is  hinged  to  a 
shaft  at  ^  by  a  bolt,  and  by  pulling  the  handle,  /,  when 
in  motion,  the  support  is  taken  from  the  check  teeth. 


Fig.  150.— RAKE  FOR  TWO  HORSES. 

and  the  rake  turns,  depositing  its  load,  and  bringing  the 
other  row  of  teeth  to  the  ground. 

An  implement  of  the  above  dimensions  is  too  heavy 
for  one  horse;  hence  the  shafts  are  intended  to  be  hooked 
to  the  hind  axle  of  a  naked  wagon,  and  thus  worked  by  a 
team,  the  driver  riding  on  the  wagon  and  operating  the 
lever  whenever  the  rake  is  full. 

The  rake  can  also  be  made  with  a  pole,  so  as  to  hitch 
a  team  directly  to  it,  as  shown  in  figure  150.  The  beam 
should  then  have  three  journals  instead  of  two,  and  the 
number  of  teeth  even,  so  that  the  pole  can  be  attached  at 
the  middle. 


134  PAKM  APPLIANCES. 

CARE  OF   MOWING  MACHINES. 

Take  up  the  wear  of  the  boxes  by  removing  the  stuffing. 
If  the  journals  have  too  much  play  they  cut  fast.  But  if 
the  boxes  fit  too  closely,  they  will  heat.  The  thickness 
of  newspaper  all  around  each  is  sufiicient  play.  Examine 
all  the  nuts  and  tighten  any  that  are  loose.  A  loose  nut 
will  cause  the  machine  to  wear  or  break;  and  will  lose 
off  in  the  field,  causing  a  vexatious  delay  at  the  least.  If 
any  nut  is  very  loose,  place  a  leather  washer  under  it, 
and  sink  the  nut  in.  Make  quite  sure  that  there  is  no 
weak  place  in  the  whiffletrees.  They  always  break  at  the 
wrong  time,  and  may  allow  the  machme  and  the  team 
to  mire  down  in  a  muddy  spot.  Mind  the  sickles.  Every 
mower  should  have  three  sickles,  so  that  as  soon  as  one 
becomes  dulled,  another  may  be  put  in  its  place.  A  dull 
sickle  does  "  ragged"  cutting,  and  will  increase  the  wear 
and  draft  of  the  machine  one  half.  Observe  if  the  sickle 
bar  is  not  warped;  and  if  the  points  of  the  sections  are  in 
a  perfectly  straight  line.  A  section  out  of  line  will  wear 
fast  and  increase  the  draft.  Try  the  sections  and  tighten 
any  that  are  loose.  A  loose  section  is  apt  to  cause  a 
breakage.  A  loose  guard  will  produce  the  same  result. 
See  that  the  tool-box  contains  claw-hammer,  pincers, 
file,  sections,  rivets,  bolts,  wire  and  nails  ;  the  lack  of 
these  will  often  require  a  trip  from  the  field  to  the  tool- 
house.  If  any  journals  have  rusted,  use  coal  oil,  every 
few  minutes,  for  the  first  half  hour,  driving  slowly  ;  and 
it  is  well  to  use  coal  oil  on  the  track  of  the  sickle,  to 
clear  off  the  gum  that  gathers  from  the  grass.  The 
machine  oil  often  sold  is  poor  stuff  ;  it  is  frequently  neces- 
sary to  add  castor  oil  to  give  it  body.  If  too  much  of 
the  latter  is  used,  however,  it  will  gum.  There  is  nothing 
more  satisfactory  than  lard  (ansalted)  with  castor  oil 
added  to  give  it  a  little  body.  If  the  lard  is  taken  to 
the  field  hot,  in  the  morning,  the  sun  will  keep  it  liqui- 


SANDLIKG  HAY  AND  CORK  FODDER.  125 

fied  during  the  day.  It  is  not  economy  to  be  sparing  in 
the  use  of  oil ;  it  should  be  applied  quite  often,  and  but 
little  at  a  time.  When  much  of  it  is  applied  at  once,  it 
runs  from  the  journals,  and  holds  dust,  increasing  in- 
stead of  diminishing  the  wear.  When  stopping  at  noon, 
throw  some  grass  over  the  sickle  and  the  driver  journals, 
if  you  cannot  drive  the  machine  into  the  shade.  Do  not 
mow  too  close.  It  dulls  and  wears  the  sickle,  and  gains 
nothing — what  is  gained  in  hay  is  more  than  lost  in  the 
aftermath.  Drive  slowly,  but  steadily,  and  thus  get 
the  most  done  with  least  wear  of  team  and  machine. 
Driving  "  in  spurts  "  for  half  a  day  will  wear  the  machine 
more  than  steady  driving  for  two  days.  Keep  the  edges 
of  the  grass  straight ;  in  other  words,  cut  the  full  width 
of  the  sickle,  for  otherwise  you  cannot  do  economical 
work.  Using  a  mower  properly  lengthens  its  life  and  in- 
creases the  amount  of  work  it  will  do  in  a  day. 


SWEEP  FOR  GATHERING  HAY. 

The  implement  shown  in  figure  151  is  made  by  having 
two  by  four  inch  pieces  of  twelve  feet  long  for  teeth. 


Fig.  151. — HAT  SWEEP. 

held  together  by  apiece  of  two  by  six  inch  stuff,  sixteen 
feet  long,  with  a  bolt  through  each  tooth;  two  fence  strips 


126  FARM  APPLIAKCES. 

of  inch  stuff,  six  inches  wide,  keep  them  from  spreading. 
Three  or  four  upright  two  by  four  posts,  four  feet  high, 
with  cross  fence  strips,  are  set  on  the  main  beam.  This 
holds  the  hay,  and  is  braced  at  each  end,  as  shown  in  the 
engraving.  There  is  on  the  bottom  of  each  end  runner, 
a  shoe  one  foot  wide,  two  inches  thick,  and  two  or  three 
feet  long,  to  give  the  teeth  a  downward  inclination.  The 
teeth  are  tapered  from  the  underside  at  each  end,  so  as 
not  to  run  into  the  ground.  There  is  an  iron  ring  at  the 
bottom  of  each  end  post,  to  which  ropes  are  fastened. 
These  ropes  are  sixteen  feet  long  or  more,  and  a  whifile- 
tree  is  attached  to  the  end  of  each.  This  contrivance 
takes  up  the  hay  to  the  stack,  and  picks  up  any  dropped 
hay  going  back. 


HAULI2!?^G  HAY  OR  STALKS. 

Figure  153  shows  a  device  for  hauling  an  entire  cock 
of  hay.  It  is  made  thus:  First,  get  a  pole,  elm  if  pos- 
sible, ten  or  eleven  feet  long,  and  about  four  inches 
through  at  the  butt.     Peel  off  the  bark,  trim  smooth. 


Fig.  152. — ^DEVICE  FOR  HAULING  HAY  OR  STALKS. 

and  sharpen  to  a  point.  Bore  two  holes  near  each  other 
at  the  butt;  pass  a  short  piece  of  rope  through  the  pole, 
and  tie  to  the  link  on  a  single  tree.  Bore  another  hole  a 
foot  from  the  end,  and  pass  through  it  a  long  one-inch 
rope,  shorter  on  one  side,  and  tie  a  knot  on  the  rope  on 
each  side  of  the  pole.  When  ready  to  commence  hauling 
push  the  pole  under  the  hay-cock,  then  take  the  long  end 
of  the  rope,  and  pass  it  along  side  the  hay-cock,  and 


ttAKDlilKG  HAY  AND   CORN   FODDER. 


W 


under  the  point  of  the  pole,  then  through  a  loop  in  the 
short  end,  and  draw  tight  and  tie.  By  this  method,  no 
hay  is  lost  on  the  way;  it  cannot  roll  over,  nor  get  tangled. 
There  is  no  waste,  no  time  is  lost,  and  the  hay  is  laid  at 
the  feet  of  the  pitcher  just  as  it  stood  in  the  field.  This 
device  may  also  be  used  for  hauling  corn  fodder  or  un- 
husked  stooks. 


DERRICK   FOR    STACKING. 


Figure  153  shows  a  derrick,  which  is  very  convenient 
in  stacking  hay  out-doors.     The  two  side-pieces  are  mor- 


Fig.  153.— HAT  DERRICK. 

tised  into  the  sill ;  the  mast,  or  top  stick,  is  not  fastened, 
hence  it  can  be  taken  out  when  moving  any  great  dis- 
tance. When  moving  only  a  few  feet,  hitch  a  horse  to 
the  sill,  and  drag  it  endways  without  taking  it  down,  to 
where  another  stack  is  to  be.     The  derrick  and  horse  are 


12B 


i'ARM   APPLiAiifCEg. 


on  one  side  of  the  stack,  and  the  load  of  hay  on  the 
other.  The  derrick  stands  at  almost  forty-five  degrees, 
and  is  held  in  place  by  guy  ropes — two  opposite  to  the 
load,  and  one  on  the  same  side  as  the  load.  A  solid 
piece  of  plank  is  used  for  the  foot  of  the  mast,  which  is 
mortised  into  it.     It  is  best  to  put  it  together  with  bolts. 


HAY  CARRIER  FOR  HORSE  FORK. 


Figure  154  shows  an  ingenious  device  for  returning  a 
horse  hay-fork  from  the  hay-mow  to  the  loaded  wagon. 
It  consists  of  a  wire  rope,  C,  stretched  from  the  end 
of  the  track,  ^,  fco  a  wooden  cylinder,  B,  four  inches  in 


Fig.  154.— IMPROVED  HAY-CABKIER. 

diameter  and  sixteen  inches  long,  around  which  a  few 
turns  are  given.  Two  short  stakes,  Z),  D,  cut  from  a 
four-by-four-inch  scantling  and  driven  slantingly  into 
the  ground,  hold  the  roller  in  position.  A  groovei  pul- 
ley, E,  runs  freely  on  the  wire,  and  from  its  axis  is  sus- 
pended a  fifty  pound  weight,  F.  The  rope,  G.  runs  over 
the  pulley,  H,  which  is  firmly  attached  to  the  lower  side 


HANDLING   HAY  AKD   CORN  FODDER.  1^9 

of  the  track.  The  wire-rope  is  made  of  three  wire 
clothes-lines  twisted  together.  When  in  use,  the  upper 
end  of  the  cord  is  attached  to  the  rope  which  carries  the 
fork.  It  is  thus  carried  up  with  the  loaded  fork,  and 
brings  it  back  by  gravitation  when  empty. 


HAY  BARRACKS. 

Figure  155  shows  barracks  constructed  by  setting  four 
posts,  of  chestnut,  or  white  oak,  twenty  or  twenty-five 
feet  long,  straight,  partly  squared  to  eight  inches 
through,  either  three  feet  in  the  ground  or  upon  sills. 
If  upon  sills,  these  are  hewed  upon  one  side  and  at  the 


Fig.  155.— BARBAOK  WITH  BOARD  ROOF. 

ends,  where  they  are  halved  together.  In  doing  this,  it 
is  well  to  pin  the  ends  with  two  inch  oak  tree-nails, 
which  should  stand  up  three  or  four  inches  above  the 
sills  when  in  place.  Then  when  the  posts  are  set  at  the 
corners,  the  pins  will  enter  holes  bored  in  the  center  of 
each  post,  and  hold  them  in  position.  They  will  last  as 
long  as  the  posts  and  sills.     For  a  temporary  purpose, 


130 


FARM   APPLIAKCES. 


the  posts  may  be  simply  set  in  the  ground,  twelve  feet 
apart ;  but  if  permanency  is  desired,  it  is  best  to  use  sills, 
set  level  upon  a  flat  stone  at  each  corner,  and  sup- 
ported in  the  middle.  The  posts  must,  moreover,  be 
braced  to  the  sills,  either  by  diagonal  braces,  or  straight 
rails,  roughly  squared,  two  by  four,  mortised  into  the 
posts  at  a  height  of  four  feet  above  the  sills,  or  at  a  height 
of  six  feet,  in  case  the  barrack  may  be  intended  to  be 
boarded  up  to  make  a  stable.     They  make  very  good 


'^'^^' 


Fig.  156. 

BARRACK  WITH  THATCHED  ROOF. 


Fig.  157. 

MANNER   OF  RAISING. 


shelter  for  young  cattle  or  horses,  the  inside  between  the 
sills  being  filled  up  level  with  stones,  and  finished  with  a 
layer  of  cement  concrete.  The  cover,  or  roof,  must  be 
as  light  as  is  consistent  with  strength  and  efficacy,  and 
may  be  of  boards,  or  thatch,  the  latter  being  by  far  the 
most  picturesque,  and  being  lighter,  it  is  easier  to  raise 
and  lower.  Before  the  posts  are  set,  they  are  bored  with 
inch  holes,  either  twelve  or  foui-teen  inches  apart,  from 
the  top  down,  exactly  in  the  middle  line,  each  set  per- 
fectly level,  and  pass  through  the  posts  in  the  came  di- 
rection. Four  pins  of  three-quarter  inch  iron,  fourteen 
inches  long,   turned  up  a  little  at  one  end,  and  bent 


HAKDLIKG   HAY  AKD  CORN  FODDER.  131 

sliglitly  downward  to  prevent  rolling,  are  tlie  roof  sup- 
ports. They  are  put  into  a  set  of  low  holes  on  the  out- 
sides  of  the  posts,  and  two  straight  oak  rails,  sixteen  to 
twenty  ioches  longer  than  the  space  between  the  posts, 
are  laid  upon  them.  Then  across  the  ends  of  these,  and 
outside  the  posts,  two  similar  rails  are  laid,  the  ends 
being  temporarily  bound  together  at  the  corner^.  These 
form  the  plates  for  the  roof.  One- third  pitch  is  usually 
given,  and  the  ends  extend  ten  inches,  or  a  foot,  beyoud 
the  plates.  A  good  coat  of  paint  will  make  the  roof 
quite  durable,  and  prevent  the  boards  from  warping.  To 
make  a  thatched  roof,  figure  156,  nice,  straight,  light 
hoop  poles  are  selected,  which,  if  too  heavy,  must  be 
split.  These  are  for  rafters.  If  binding  poles  are  used, 
they  must  be  mere  rods,  like  light  whip  stocks.  The 
rafter  poles  are  laid  up  and  bound  at  the  ends,  and  to  the 
cross-poles  with  tarred  rope-yarn,  but  nailed  to  the  plates. 
They  are  placed  about  eighteen  inches  apart,  but  the  light 
split  cross  poles,  about  a  foot  to  fourteen  inches  apart. 
The  straw  is  laid  on  in  handf  uls,  beginning  at  the  eaves, 
and  bound  with  rope  yarn  to  the  cross  poles,  or  in  courses, 
and  bound  down  by  tying  the  tough,  slender  maple  rods, 
to  the  cross  poles.  Of  course,  the  straw  is  kept  even, 
and  in  courses,  butts  outward,  and  trimmed  evenly  with 
shears.  When  laid,  the  straw  must  be  well  evened  at 
the  butts,  and  dampened  so  as  to  pack  nicely  and  not 
break  in  handling.  These  covers  should  be  as  light  as 
possible,  and  be  consistent  with  strength.  They  are 
raised  and  lowered  one  comer  at  a  time,  which  may 
usually  be  done  by  one  man,  though  more  conveniently 
by  two.  To  raise  the  roof,  a  ladder  of  suitable  length  is 
set  under  the  lower  plate  pole  of  one  corner,  as  shown  in 
figure  157,  the  end  of  the  pole  being  allowed  to  pass 
through  between  the  rounds  of  the  ladder,  which  is  then 
lifted  either  by  main  strength,  or  by  a  rail  used  as  a  lever, 
and  held  in  position  until  some  one  going  up  another 


132 


FARM  APPLIAKCES. 


ladder,  can  lift  the  pin  which  supports  it.  This  is,  of 
course,  done  at  each  corner,  and  thus  the  roof  is  raised, 
one  peg  at  a  time.  It  is  lowered  iu  the  same  manner  by 
reyersing  the  operation. 


SUPPORTS  FOR  STACKS. 


In  stacking  straw  or  hay,  when  stock  is  permitted  to 
feed  upon  it  during  the  winter,  it  is  unsafe  to  leave  the 
stack  without  support.  The  danger  is  that  the  stacks 
may  be  undermined,   and  fall  over  upon  the  animals. 


Fig.  158.— FRAME  FOR  STRAW  OR- HAT  STACK. 

This  will  not  happen  if  a  stout  support  is  made,  as  shown 
in  figure  158.  A  few  strong  posts  are  set  firmly  in  the 
ground,  and  planks  spiked  on  the  side  as  shown  ;  the 
cattle  can  eat  the  straw  from  between  the  planks,  and" 
may  eat  the  stack  entirely  through  without  danger  of  its 
being  buried  by  over-turning.  When  the  crib  thus  made 
is  filled,  the  stack  is  topped  off  in  the  usual  manner, 
being  well  spread  over  the  eaves  to  shed  the  rain,  and, 
as  it  is  eaten  out  below,  the  straw  settles  down  gradually. 
It  is  quite  easy  to  cover  a  stack  so  made  with  a  roof,  so 
as  to  form  a  very  cheap  barrack.  In  the  summer,  by  a 
little  change,  this  will  make  a  good  calf  or  sheep  pen. 


HANDLING   HAY   AND   CORN   FODDEB. 


133 


HOME-MADE  HAY   PEESS. 


The  press  shown  in  figures  159,  160,  and  161  may  be 
made  wholly  of  wood,  hewn  to  the  right  size,  and  put 
together  with  wooden  pins.  The  frame,  figure  159,  is 
four  feet  long  inside  of  the  posts,  and  throe  feet  wide.  The 


Fig.  159.— FRAME  OF  HAT  PRESS. 

height  is  eight  feet.  The  movable  bottom  is  raised  by 
ropes  which  pass  over  pulleys  or  rollers,  if  no  iron  is  to  be 
used,  and  are  wound  upon  the  rollers  at  the  bottom. 
This  roller  is  moved  by  bars  to  be  inserted  in  mortises  cut 
in  the  roller,  similar  to  the  manner  used  in  moving  a 
windlass,  or  a  capstan  on  shipboard.  A  movable  door  is 
made  to  fit  the  bottom  of  the  press  on  one  side,  for  the 
purpose  of  removing  the  bale  after  it  is  pressed.     The 


134 


PAKM   APPLIAI^CES. 


bale  is  bound  with  a   strong  cord,  pieces  of  which  are 
placed  on  the  bottom  and  others  on  the  top,  as  shown  in 


Tig.  160. — END  VIEW   OF  HAY  PEES3. 


ihhyiiw  ii\\ 


CTHiiiii|!iiiiii|niiin|iiiiiiiii!inii|i 


\\ 


ii!iiinmr,iiiilllH!iinilli!i!i| 


I  iii/iiin  i\irN 


Fig.  161. — MOVABLE  BOTTOM. 

figure  159,  and  the  ends  are  fastened  when  the  bale  is 
pressed  as  tightly  as  possible.     It  is  then  reduced  to  two 


HANDLING   HAY    AN"D   CORN^   FODDER.  135 

and  one-half  feet  in  thickness,  and  eight  of  these  bales 
will  make  a  ton.  The  hay  is  easily  transported  in  wagons 
when  baled,  and  the  press  can  be  moved  from  one  mea- 
dow to  another  as  the  hay  is  cut  and  pressed,  or  it  will 


Fig.  162.— HAT  BALE. 

be  more  convenient  at  times  to  drive  the  cattle  to  the  hay 
rather  than  move  the  hay  to  the  cattle.  Figure  160 
shows  the  end  view  of  the  press,  figure  161,  the  movable 
bottom,  and  figure  162,  the  pressed  bale.  When  the 
iron  can  be  procured  without  great  expense,  it  might  be 
well  to  use  the  pulleys  and  slotted  wheels  as  here  shown, 
but  otherwise  these  parts  may  be  made  of  .wood. 


TWISTING   HAY  AND   STRAW. 

The  machine  figures  163  to  167,  consists  of  two  two-by 
four  bars,  nine  feet  long,  figure  163,  straight  and  true, 
and  of  even  thickness  and  width.  They  are  bolted  to- 
gether at  each  end,  and  separated  by  a  block  four  inches 
square  and  two  inches  thick,  at  one  end  a,  and  a  piece 
of  two-by-four  stuff,  three  feet  long,  at  I.  A  pulley  is 
set  at  Cy  about  thirty-nine  inches  from  the  end  a.     Fig- 


136 


FABM  APPLIANCES. 


ure  164  shows  frame  of  back  end  {A,  figure  167),  a  being 
a  piece  of  two-by-four,  four  feet  long;  Z>,  b,  two  uprights, 
one-by-four,  six  feet  long ;  c,  a  two-by-four,  three  feet 
long  ;  d,  a  one-by-four,  three  feet  long  ;  they  are  firmly 


Fig.  163,— THE  BARS,   OB  WATS. 

nailed  together  as  shown,  the  upper  edge  of  c,  being  half 
way  up  from  bottom.  Figure  165  is  the  same  as  figure 
164,  except  the  lower  piece  a  is  only  three  feet  long.  The 
five  converging  pieces  are  of  some  springy  wood.  They 
are  attached  by  screws,  three  to  the  upper  cross-pieces 
and  two  to  the  middle  one,  and  prevent  the  hay  going 
too  fast  out  of  the  rack.  Figure  166  shows  a  *'  follower" 
(/",  figure  164),  a  being  two-by-four,  twelve  inches  long, 
h,  two-by-four,  twenty-six  inches  long,  framed  or  halved 
on  a  ;  c  is  a  brace  of  one-inch  board  ;  d,  d,  two  pieces  of 
board,  the  lower  one  eight  inches  wide,  six  inches  long, 


Fig.  164. 


Fig.  165. 


a 

Fig.  166. 


the  upper  twelve  inches  wide,  sixteen  inches  long  ;  they 
are  firmly  attached  to  i  by  nails  and  screws  as  shown, 
and  the  brace  c  is  then  nailed  in  place.  The  "  twister  " 
is  made  of  seven-sixteenths  round  iron,  nine  inches  long 


HAl^DLIJ^G   HA.Y  AND   COEiq'  FODDER. 


137 


from  crank  to  hook,  five  inch  crank,  three  and  a  half 
inch  handle.  The  hook  is  turned  so  as  to  have  a  twist 
like  a  corkscrew,  so  that  it  will  woik  in  and  catch  the 
hay  up  of  itself ;  two  washers  are  put  on  that  fit  the 
rod  snugly  and  four  inches  apart,  by  placing  shaft  in  a 
vice  ;  a  nick  with  a  cold  chisel  on  each  side  of  shaft  on 
outside  of  each  washer,  will  keep  them  in  place.  This  is 
made  fast  upon  a  piece  of  two-by-four,  twelve  inches 
long,  the  upper  end  grooved  out  so  that  the  shaft  will 
set  in  about  half  way,  then  beveled  off  as  shown ;  the 
shaft  is  fastened  in  place  by  a  couple  of  strips  of  hoop 


1 

c 

c 

' 

/ 

■A 

i-            « 

a 

br     « 

A 
i 

1 

B 

Fig.  167.— THE  COMPLETE  MACHINE  (STRAW-TWISTER). 

iron,  bent  over  it  and  nailed  or  screwed  in  place  ;  two 
strips  are  screwed  on  the  sides,  and  a  piece  of  board  on 
the  bottom  end,  as  shown,  leaving  space  between  the  two 
so  that  it  will  work  freely  on  the  ways,  figure  163,  when 
in  place  as  shown  in  figure  167.  Figure  167  shows  the 
machine  complete,  A  being  figure  164,  B,  figure  165,  in 
their  places,  c,  showing  boarding  of  rack,  the  edges  of 
which  show  in  figure  164  and  165 ;  it  is  nailed  to  the 
upper  piece  and  to  the  ways,  W  is  a  weight  to  bring  the 
follower,  figure  166,  forward  as  fast  as  hay  is  used  out, 
and  keeps  the  hay  firm  and  in  its  place  against  the  wooden 
springs;  the  weight  may  be  a  stone,  or  box  filled  with  iron 
or  scraps.     In  use,  draw  the  follower  back,  and  run  thQ 


138 


FARM   APPLIAKCES. 


pin,  /,  in  hole  bored  through  ways  and  follower,  fill  in  the 
rack  from  top  with  hay,  just  mowed  or  slightly  damp, 
pressing  it  in  snugly,  then  draw  out  pin  /*,  slide  carriage 
g  up  ta  rack  ;  by  turning  crank  the  hook  will  catch  up  a 
lock  of  the  hay,  then  keep  turning  and  drawing  carriage 
away  at  the  same  time,  and  it  will  twist  out  a  rope  of  hay, 
this  is  doubled,  and  ends  fastened  by  crowding  through 
loops.  If  you  can  get  some  drawer  rollers  to  set  in  the 
follower  and  on  the  carriage,  it  will  work  much  easier.' 


-2-rq 


Ir'^ 


-in 


u 


Fig.  168.  WESTPHALIAN  STBAW-TWISTEB.  Fig.  169. 

Figures  168  and  169  show  a  form  of  straw-twister, 
which  has  long  been  in  use  in  Westphalia,  Germany.  A 
board  of  hard  wood,  half  an  inch  thick,  four  and  a  half 
inches  wide  and  five  feet  long,  is  shaped  as  in  figure  168, 
and  has  an  inch  hole  in  the  center.  A  piece  of  the  same 
stuff;  five  inches  square,  also  with  ^.n  inch  hole  («  in  thQ 


HAi^DLIl^G   HAY   AXD   CORiq-   FODDER.  139 

engravings),  is  attached  to  the  large  piece  by  means  of 
long  wooden  pins,  and  stands  three  inches  from  it,  the 
holes  in  the  two  exactly  corresponding.  A  shaft  of  hard 
wood,  h,  figure  169,  is  square  at  the  end,  where  the  crank 
c,  is  attached,  and  round  where  it  passes  through  the 
two  holes.  This  shaft  is  held  in  place  by  the  pins,  d,  d, 
which  should  be  so  set  as  to  allow  it  to  turn  freely.  An- 
other wooden  pin,  e,  passes  through  the  shaft  and  pro- 
jects an  inch  and  a  half  on  each  side.  In  making  the 
rope,  two  men  are  required.  The  straw  having  been 
slightly  moistened  by  sprinkling  from  a  watering  can, 
one  takes  a  bunch  and  fastens  it  to  the  pin  e.  The  other 
operator  takes  the  machine  with  his  left  hand,  at  h,  fig- 
ure 168,  and  with  the  lower  end  against  his  foot,  turns 
the  crank;  he  gradually  moves  away  from  the  other, 
pushing  the  machine  along  with  his  foot,  while  keeping 
the  crank  in  motion,  and  the  other  supplies  straw  as  re- 
quired. The  latter  sits  upon  a  low  stool,  and  his  right 
hand  should  be  protected  by  a  stout  leather  glove  or  a 
piece  of  leather.  When  the  rope  is  about  a  hundred  feet 
long,  or  it  becomes  difficult  to  turn  the  crank,  it  is  rolled 
into  a  ball,  and  a  new  one  begun.  The  rope  is  finally 
made  into  balls  of  convenient  size. 


STANDARD  FOR  CORN  SHOCKS. 

The  best  standard  is  made  by  bending  four  hills  to- 
gether— two  diagonal  hills  being  lapped  and  twisted  to- 
gether. But  to  such  a  standard  it  can  be  objected,  that 
a  knife  must  be  carried  along  to  cut  the  stalks  loose  when 
the  fodder  is  brought  in  from  the  fields,  and  that  these 
stalks  cannot  be  stood  straight  in  the  rick.  Some  prefer 
a  movable  wooden  standard,  of  which  a  very  good  sort  is 
shown  in  figure  170.  A  light  pole,  twelve  or  fifteen  feet 
long,  is  provided  with  two  upright  supports  j  holes  are 


140  FARM   APPLIANCES. 

bored  through  the  pole  about  five  feet  from  one  end,  and 
through  the  ends  of  the  uprights,  and  a  bolt  passed 
through  the  holes  and  secured  by  a  nut.  The  holes 
should  be  so  large  that  the  uprights  can  be  spread  a  foot 
apart  at  the  bottom.  Midway  between  the  uprights  and 
the  end  of  the  pole,  another  hole  is  bored,  through 
which  a  cross-bar  is  put.     In  the  four  angles  formed  by 


Fig.  170.— FODDER  CORN  STANDARD. 

the  intersection  of  the  pole  and  the  cross-bar,  the  fodder 
is  set.  When  the  shock  reaches  out  to  the  support,  the 
cross-bar  is  pulled  out,  and  tlie  pole  can  be  removed. 
Some  prefer  to  have  the  supports  and  cross-bar  near  to- 
gether, about  four  feet  from  the  pole.  The  shock  is 
built  around  the  supports.  When  done,  the  cross-bar  is 
pulled  out,  and  as  the  pole  is  removed,  the  supports  are 
brought  close  together,  and  do  not  hinder. 


VEN^TILATOR  FOR  STACKS. 

A  large  quantity  of  corn  fodder  is  spoiled  for  want  of 
proper  care  in  drying  and  stacking.  It  is  not  easy  to  hit 
the  happy  mean,  between  the  sufficient  drying  of  the 
stalks,  and  the  over-drying  of  the  leaves.  But  it  can  be 
done  perfectly  in  the  stack,  by  the  use  of  the  ventilator, 
figure  171.  This  consists  of  three  or  four  poles  or  bars, 
fastened  together  with  cross-slats,  and  made  to  fit  one 
upon  another.  Such  a  ventilator,  which  may  be  four  or 
six  feet  long,  is  set  on  the  foundation  for  the  stack^  and 


HANDLING  HAY  AND  COEN  FODBJEH. 


141 


passes   upwards  through  it,  leaving  a  perfect  chimney 
and  air  passage  in  the  center  of  the  fodder.     More  than 


Fig.  171. — VENTILATOR  FOR  STACK. 

one  can  be  used  if  desired.     These  ventilators  are  useful 
in  stacks  of  hay  or  grain,  which  may  be  a  little  damp. 


BENCH   FOR   HUSKING. 


Figure   172  represents  a  very  comfortable  and  light 
husking  stool ;  it  is  made  long  and  wide  enough  to  hold 


Fig.  172. — HUSKING  STOOL. 

a  sheaf  of  stalk,  and  is  provided   with  a  seat,    or  may 
have  one  on  both  sides,  if  desired.    If  one  can  procure 


i^^  t'ARM  APPLIAKCEg. 

some  crooks  of  cedar  or  other  light  wood,  such  as  is  used 
in  rustic  work,  they  will  serve  very  well  for  the  ends.  The 
seats  may  be  removed  when  the  stools  are  not  required, 
and  may  then  serve  for  benches  in  the  dairy  or  for 
household  purposes. 


CORK-STALK  BAND. 

Stalks  altogether  dry  or  altogether  green  are  not  to  be 
selected,  as  they  will  break  when  it  is  attempted  to 
twist  them.  Long,  slender  stalks  are  desirable.  The 
first  stalk  is  broken  at  a  right  angle  about  two  feet  from 
the  but  ;  the  but  is  then  forced  into  the  shock  as  far  as 
the  break,  when  the  remainder  of  the  stalk  is  passed 


Fig.  173. — CORN-STALK  BAND. 

around  the  shock,  breaking  it  carefully  every  eight  or 
ten  inches,  until  the  tassel  point  is  almost  reached.  Then 
another  stalk  Is  inserted  in  the  shock.  The  top  of  the 
first  stalk  is  broken  every  three  inches  between  the 
thumb  and  fingers,  and  twisted  around  the  second  stalk, 
which  is  then  broken  and  passed  around  the  shock  as  in 


HAKDLIJ^G   HAt   AND    CORN   FODDER.  143 

the  case  of  the  first  one.  This  is  continued  until  the 
last  stalk  reaches  the  first  one,  when  it  is  secured  by 
twisting  it  as  in  the  case  of  the  others,  or  by  drawing  it 
down  between  the  shock  and  the  first  stalk,  just  in  front 
of  the  break,  forming  a  loop  below,  through  which  a 
piece  of  stalk,  two  feet  long,  is  passed  and  driyen  into 
the  shock.  In  figure  173  is  shown  the  appearance  of  the 
band  as  it  would  be,  if  the  shock  could  be  removed  after 
the  band  is  completed. 


CONVENIENT  FODDER  CARRIER. 

On  farms  where  the  corn-stalks  are  left  in  the  field  to 
be  carted  to  the  yard  as  wanted,  the  use  of  a  convenient 
carrier  saves  much  work  and  time.     Such  a  one  is  shown 


Fig.  174.— FODDER   CARRIER. 

in  figure  174.  It  consists  of  the  front  wheels,  axle,  bol- 
ster and  pole  of  a  common  farm-Avagon,  with  the  ends  of 
two  poles,  or  a  common  cord-wood  rack  fastened  to  the 
bolster.  The  other  ends  of  the  poles  drag  on  the  ground. 
A  cross-piece,  three  feet  long,  is  securely  fastened  to  the 
poles  about  three  feet  from  their  lower  ends,  and  two  up- 
right stakes,  four  or  five  feet  long,  complete  the  arrange- 
ment of  this  farm  Gonvenience. 


CHAPTEE    VII. 

STUMP-PULLERS,    DERRICKS    AND    SLINGS. 
STUMP-PULLERS. 

Figure  175  shows  a  very  powerful  machine  for  pulling 
stumps.  The  woodwork  is  made  of  well-seasoned  oak, 
the  winding  shaft  being  eight  inches  in  diameter  and  five 
feet  long.  The  lower  block,  in  which  it  revolves,  is  six- 
teen inches  square  and  three  inches- thick,  having  a  hole 
cut  just  large  enough  to  receive  the  winding  shaft,  and  is 
fastened  securely  to  the  middle  brace  at  the  bottom.  To 
prevent  the  splitting  of  the  winding  shaft,  two  stout  iron 
bands  are  shrunk  immediately  above  and  below  where  the 
lever  or  sweep  is  inserted.  An  old  gear-wheel,  with  the 
spokes  knocked  out,  is  fastened  to  the  top  cross-piece  or 
head-block,  to  receive  the  traveling  ratchet  attached  to  the 
shaft.  The  upright  pieces  of  the  frame  are  of  two  by 
eight  inch  oak,  three  and  a  half  feet  high  ;  the  top  cross- 
piece  or  head-block  two  by  sixteen  inch  oak,  narrowing  to 
twelve  inches  at  the  ends,  and  three  feet  long.  The  frame 
is  set  on  runners  four  feet  long,  two  by  ten  inch  oak,  so 
the  implement  can  be  quickly  moved  from  place  to  place  ; 
the  entire  frame  is  mortised  together.  The  anchor  is  of 
one-inch  round  iron,  and  attached  as  shown  in  the  illus- 
tration, and  a  strong  iron  pulley-block  is  used  on  the 
opposite  side.  In  pulling  large  stumps,  a  chain  is  more 
reliable  than  a  rope.  A  single  horse  furnishes  the  motive 
power  at  the  end  of  the  lever  or  sweep,  which  is  ten  feet 
long. 

Figure  176  shows  a  cheaper  and  lighter  stump-puller. 

The  only  expense  is  for  the  chain,  links  of  one  and  a  half 

to  two  inch  tough  iron,  or  tough-tempered  steel ;  ring, 

ten  to  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  hook,  all  of 

(144) 


STUMP-PULLEES,   DERRICKS,   SLlKOS. 


145 


1^ 


146  FARM  APPLIAKCES. 

which  any  blacksmith  can  make.  The  point  of  the  hook 
must  be  formed  so  that  it  will  strike  in  toward  the  heart 
of  the  stump  and  not  tear  loose  on  partially  decayed  wood. 
The  lever  may  be  twelve  to  twenty  feet  long,  its  size  de- 
pending on  the  quality  of  the  wood  and  the  force  to  han- 


Fig.  176.— A  SIMPLE   STUMP-PUIiLER. 

die  it.  A  lever  twenty  feet  long  on  a  stump  two  feet  in 
diameter,  would  exert  a  force  of  ten  tons  for  each  one 
thousand  pounds  of  direct  pull  by  the  team.  Though 
many  durable,  long-rooted  stumps  would  not  yield  to 
this,  the  large  majority  of  ordinary  stumps,  after  decay- 
ing a  year  or  two,  can  thus  be  cleared  out,  with  most  of 
the  roots. 

Figure  1^7  shows  a  stump-puller  used  in  New  Zealand. 
The  thread  of  the  screw  works  both  ways  and  gradually 
draws  each  chain  nearer  the  center,  where  the  screw  is 


Fig.  177.— NEW  ZEALAND  STUMP-PULLER. 

turned  by  a  movable  bar.  One  end  of  the  chain  is  fast- 
ened around  one  stump,  and  the  other  around  a  second  ; 
then  when  the  ^rew  is  turned,  whichever  stump  is  the 
less  firm  in  the  ground  is  bound  to  be  pulled  out.  The 
screw  is  readily  worked  by  a  man,  though  it  will,  as  a 
rule,  require  two  persons  to  work  it  on  heavy  land. 


STUMP-PULLERS,   DERRICKS,    SLINGS. 


147 


DERRICKS  FOR  FARM  USE. 


Where  there  is  much  handling  of  heavy  barrels  or 
sacks,  one  man,  with  some  simple,  mechanical  contriv- 
ance, can  easily  do  the  work  of  two  or  three,  working  by 
main  strength.  A  boom  derrick,  figure  178,  hung  high, 
so  that  the  weight  shall  be  lifted  from  the  ground  ordi- 
narily, when  the  derrick  swings  horizontally,  is  very  con- 
venient. A  post  is  banded,  and  has  a  strong  dowel  at 
each  end.  The  lower  dowel  is  set  in  a  stone  fixed  in  the 
ground,  close  to  the  building  where  it  is  to  be  used,  the 


Fig.  178.— A  BOOM  DERRICK. 


Fig.  179.— ETE-BOLT. 


upper  one  in  a  strong  oak  cleat,  bolted  to  the  building. 
At  the  height  of  about  five  or  six  feet  from  the  ground, 
an  eye-bolt  passes  through  the  post,  and  another  is  fixed 
at  the  top.  The  boom  is  fastened  to  the  lower  eye-bolt 
by  a  three-quarter  inch  hooked  iron,  attached  as  shown 
in  figure  179,  while  the  other  end  of  the  boom  has  a  band 
with  two  eyes.  This  boom  is  a  spar  or  pole,  stiff  enough 
to  bear  the  strain  without  doubling  up  or  breaking,  and 
may  be  ten  or  fifteen  feet  long.  The  end  of  the  boom  is 
raised  or  lowered  by  a  pair  of  single  pulleys,  or  by  a 


148  FARM  APPLIANCES. 

double  block  tackle,  which  will  exert  much  greater  pow- 
er. When  the  weip:ht  is  lifted,  as  out  of  a  cellar-way,  it 
may  be  swung  around  over  a  wagon  and  lowered  into  it. 
A  convenient  derrick  for  raising  slaughtered  animals, 
for  suspending  heavy  hogs  in  scalding,  and  dressing  beeves, 
and  for  sundry  other  purposes,  can  be  cheaply  and  quick- 
ly made  thus  :  Take  three  scantlings  two  by  six  inches, 
and  fourteen  feet  long,  or  any  other  desired  length  and 
strength.  Eound  poles  will  answer,  by  hewing  fiat  on 
two  sides  a  small  portion  of  the  upper  ends.  Bore  cor- 
responding holes  in  the  top  of  each,  and  insert  a  strong 
iron  bolt,  with  large  head  on  one  end,  and  large  nut  and 
screw  on  the  other.  Let  the  bolt  fit  loosely,  to  allow  a 
little  play.  These  pieces  can  fold  together  for  storage, 
and  be  raised  to  any  desired  height  short  of  perpendicu- 
lar. Bore  a  series  of  small  holes  along  the  upper  sides 
of  two  poles,  for  movable  iron  pins,  or  larger  ones  for 
wooden  pins.  These  may  be  fastened  in,  or  better,  have 
two  loose  pins  for  moving  to  higher  or  lower  holes.  By 
placing  the  feet  of  these  two  poles  against  firmly  driven 
stakes,  and  drawing  the  third  and  rear  pole  inward,  the 
center  will  be  elevated  with  considerable  force,  the  power 
required  decreasing  as  the  timbers  approach  a  perpendic- 
ular, when  a  beef  carcass,  for  instance,  is  nearly  lifted 
from  the  ground,  and  hangs  more  heavily.  If  desired  or 
necessary,  horse  power  can  be  applied  by  using  a  rope 
with  a  clevis  or  otherwise,  attaching  it  to  a  double-tree 
or  to  a  whiffletree.  A  single  horse  will  be  sufficient  for 
raising  a  large  carcass  by  means  of  this  tripod  derrick. 


SLINGS  FOR  HOISTING   HEAVY  OBJECTS. 

When  one  has  bags  to  hoist  by  a  block,  or  simply  by  a 
fall,  from  the  barn  floor  to  the  loft,  rope  or  chain  slings 
are  almost  essential.     The  simplest  sling  to  operate  is 


STUMP-PULLERS,    DERRICKS,    SLINGS. 


149 


formed  on  the  end  of  the  fall-rope,  as  shown  in  figure 
180.     This  consists  simply  of  an  oak  stick,  half  an  inch 


Fig.  180. 


Fig.  181.— CHAm-SLING. 


thick,  two  inches  wide  and  six  inches  long,  having  two 
three-quarter  inch  holes  bored,  one  near  each  end. 
Through  one  of  these  the  end  of  the  rope  passes,  then  it 


Fig.  182.— ENDLESS  KOPE-SLING. 

is  drawn  through  the  other  and  knotted  strongly.     The 
mout^  of  the  bag  being  caught  in  the  bight  of  the  loop. 


150  FARM  APPLIA2!fOES. 

it  may  be  safely  hoisted,  for  the  greater  the  weight  the 
tighter  will  be  the  hold. 

Next  to  this,  and  still  more  convenient,  is  the  chain- 
sling,  figure  181.  The  fall-rope  is  terminated  by  a  chain 
with  twisted  links,  which  ends  in  a  ring,  and  so  a  loop 
is  made  to  take  the  bag,  or  simply  the  bag's  mouth. 
Like  the  rope-sling,  it  will  hold  fast  all  the  bags  that 
it  can  be  made  to  surround.  For  hoisting  many  bags  at 
a  time,  nothing  is  more  convenient  and  safe  than  an  end- 
less rope,  figure  182,  cut  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  long, 
and  the  ends  spliced  together.  This  is  laid  upon  the 
floor,  forming  a  long,  narrow  loop;  the  bags  are  laid 
upon  it,  resting  evenly  on  both  side  ropes,  then  the  ends 
are  brought  together,  one  is  passed  through  the  other, 
so  as  to  act  like  a  noose,  and  hooked  over  the  fall-rope, 
which  should  terminate  in  a  strong  hook,  as  shown  in 
the  engraving. 


DERRICK  FOR  A  CELLAR. 

The  carrier  shown  in  figure  183  is  similar  to  those  used 
for  hay,  but  more  simple  in  construction.  Four  iron 
wheels  are  attached  with  bolts,  which  serve  as  axles,  to 
two-by-four-inch  oak  blocks.  The  connecting  bars  hold- 
ing the  blocks  together  are  made  of  old  wagon-wheel  tire, 
and  joined  together  below  the  carrier,  by  a  cross-bar  of 
the  same  material,  bearing  a  hook.  The  track  is  made 
of  a  bent  two-by-four-inch  scantling,  to  each  side  of 
which  are  bolted  oak  strips  one  inch  thick,  forming  a 
roadway  for  the  wheels.  To  the  outer  end  of  the  track 
is  fastened  a  pulley,  over  which  passes  the  rope  attached 
to  the  carrier.  When  the  lead  runs  into  the  cellar  the 
rope  moves  along  in  the  groove  under  the  track.  In  re- 
moving heavy  articles  from  the  cellar,  the  end  of  the  rope 
is  attached  to  a  windlass,  set  a  short  distance  from  the 


STUMP-PULLEKS,    DERRi<?^^g|f Q^\^, 


\ 


161 


cellar  door.     When  not  in  use,  the  carrier  may  be  taken 
down  and  laid  aside  out  of  the  way.     This  device  has 


.  183.— A  OELLAE  OAEBIEB. 


been  used  in  a  cellar,  where  four  hundred  bushels  of 
apples  and  potatoes  were  stored,  and  the  owner  would  not 
part  with  it,  if  he  could  not  obtain  another.  With  it  one 
man  can  place  a  hundred  barrels  of  apples  in  a  cellar,  or 
remove  them,  as  easily  as  he  could  as  many  pecks  with 
his  hands  alone. 


LEVER  APPARATUS  FOR  LIFTING. 

The  implement  shown  in  figure  184  is  very  useful  for 
many  purposes  on  the  farm.     Mortise  a  post  of  three  by 


Fig.  184.— CONVENIENT  LIFTING  APPARATUS. 

three-inch  stuff  into  a  piece  of  two-inch  plank.     In  the 
top  of  this  saw  a  slot,  one  and  a  half  inch  wide,  to  re- 


152 


TAKM  APPLIANCES. 


ceive  the  lever  of  the  same  thickness,  four  inches  wide, 
and  with  the  short  arm,  three  feet  long,  and  the  long 
arm,  six  feet  long.  To  the  long  arm  is  fastened  a  piece 
of  chain;  and  to  the  short  arm  another  piece,  provided 
with  a  hook  at  the  free  end.  Having  the  long  arm  of  the 
lever  twice  as  long  as  the  short  arm,  one  can  easily  lift  a 
weight  twice  his  own.  It  is  surprising  how  often  there 
is  use  for  this.  It  can  be  used  to  lift  sacks  of  grain  into 
the  wagon ;  logs  on  the  sled  or  saw-horse  ;  the  bed  off 
the  wagon ;  the  mower  over  an  obstruction  when  putting 


Fig.  185.— mPKOVED  ufting  appaeatus. 

it  in  the  barn  ;  and  for  some  other  things  nearly  every 
other  day.  By  making  the  chain  on  the  short  lever  long 
enough,  it  can  be  passed  around  a  log  or  sack,  and  hooked 
very  quickly. 

The  improvement  shown  in  figure  185  consists  in  having 
the  long  arm  of  the  lever  longer  and  the  short  arm  a 
very  little  shorter,  giving- a  greater  advantage.  As  the 
short  arm  of  the  lever  is  brought  up,  the  free  end  of  the 
chain  is  shortened;  hence,  it  will  lift  the  weight  a  greater 
height.  With  the  first  device  one  can  lift  a  weight  only 
three  feet  conveniently. 


A   HOME-MADE  HOKSE-POWEE. 


The  worst  disposition  which  can  be  made  of  a  worn-out 
farm  machine  of  any  kind,  is  to  lay  it  up  by  the  fence  in 


DEEEICKS,    SLII^GS.  153 

the  dooryard  or  barnyard,  to  be  an  eyesore  for  years,  and 
a  possible  source  of  danger  to  domestic  animals,  or  even 
to  persons  passing  hastily  or  carelessly  near  it.  The 
better  plan  is  to  take  the  machine  to  pieces,  set  aside  any 
unsound  or  broken  wood  for  fuel,  sell  whatever  iron  is 
not  likely  to  be  useful  in  its  present  shape,  and  carefully 
store  away  in  a  suitable  place  the  remaining  parts, 
whether  of  wood  or  iron,  particularly  bolts,  gearing,  etc. 
"With  a  little  ingenuity,  and  perhaps  a  slight  outlay  of 
money,  wheels  and  shafts  from  disabled  reapers,  mowers 
or  other  machines  may  be  put  together  to  form  a  light 
horse-power,  which  will  be  found  very  serviceable  in 
driving  feed-cutter,  corn-sheller,  or  farm-mill.  In  the 
construction  of  a  horse-power  certain  general  principles 
must  be  kept  in  mind,  otherwise  failure,  more  or  less 
complete,  will  be  the  result.  The  different  parts  must 
be  sufficiently  strong  to  bear  the  strain  to  which  they 
will  be  subjected  ;  the  bearings  need  to  be  true,  and  the 
whole  so  securely  braced  and  held  together,  that  any 
slipping  of  cogs  will  be  impossible.  The  rate  of  speed 
must  be  from  seventy-two  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  rev- 
olutions of  the  cutting-box  shaft  for  every  one  of  the 
horse,  the  first  being  rather  low  for  a  six-foot,  and  the 
second  rather  high  for  an  eight-foot  sweep.  Since  some 
portion  oi.  the  force  employed  is  always  lost  through 
friction,  the  fewer  wheels  to  secure  the  required  speed 
and  direction,  the  better.  Hard- wood  boxes  are  cheaper 
and  are  more  easily  adjusted  than  those  made  of  metal, 
and,  if  they  are  kept  properly  greased,  last,  perhaps, 
quite  as  long. 

An  excellent  portable-power  can  be  made  by  taking  a 
bevel-gearing  from  an  old  discarded  brick-machine,  a 
pair  of  spur-wheels  from  an  ancient  reaper,  two  or  three 
shafts  and  a  band- wheel  from  other  sources —all  odds 
and  ends  picked  up  cheaply  here  and  there — arranging 
them  to  suit  the  purpose,  and  fitting  all  but  the  band- 


154  FARM  APPLIANCES. 

wheel  and  one  shaft  in  a  stout  frame.  The  odd  shaft 
extends  from  the  end  of  the  frame  some  distance,  and 
carries  the  band- wheel  at  its  further  end,  above  which  a 
feed-cutter  stands  on  a  loft,  and  is  run  by  a  belt.  From 
a  pulley  on  the  same  shaft,  power  is  conveyed  to  a  grind- 
stone and  corn-sheller,  which  require  a  much  lower  rate 
of  speed  than  the  cutter.  The  crown  wheel  has  fifty- 
four  cogs,  its  pinion,  eighteen;  the  spur-wheel  has  sev- 
enty-two cogs,  its  pinion,  fifteen;  the  band- wheel  is  thir- 
ty-six inches  in  diameter,  and  the  pulleys  on  the  cutting 
box,  six  inches.  The  number  of  revolutions  of  the  cut- 
ter-shaft to  one  of  the  horse  are,  therefore,  eighty-six  and 
two-fifths.  A  six-inch  leather  belt  will  seldom  or  never 
slip;  a  four-inch  belt  is  quite  too  light.  Two  horses,  at- 
tached to  this  power,  cut  cornstalks  very  rapidly.  The 
crown-wheel  has  a  tendency  to  rise  and  allow  the  cogs 
to  slip.  It  must  be  kept  down  by  friction  wheels  placed 
above  the  rim,  or  by  a  collar  on  the  axle,  working  against 
the  underside  of  the  upper  cross-piece,  which,  in  turn, 
must  be  kept  in  place  by  a  bolt  or  rod  at  each  end,  run- 
ning up  through  the  bed-piece,  and  secured  at  the  top 
by  means  of  a  broad  washer  and  stout  nut. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

PEEPARING  AND  HANDLING  FERTILIZERS. 

HAULING  BARNYARD  MANURE. 

When  hauling  manure  it  is  usual  to  drop  it  in  heaps, 
and  leave  it  to  be  spread  by  a  man  who  follows  soon  after. 
There  are  several  methods  of  dumping  the  manure,  but 
the  most  satisfactory  is  to  use  a  manure  hook,  as  shown 


PREPARING   AND   HANDLING   FERTILIZERS. 


155 


in  figure  186.  The  bottom  of  the  sled  or  wagon  should 
be  formed  of  loose  planks,   each  with  its  end  shaved 

Fig.  186. — A  MANURE  HOOK. 

down  to  form  handles.  The  side  and  end  pieces  of  the 
box,  though  closely  fitting,  are  not  fastened  together,  so 
that  they  can  be  removed  one  at  a  time.  One  side  or  an 
end  board  is  first  taken  out,  and  with  a  manure  hook  a 
sufficient  amount  of  the  load  removed  for  the  first  heap. 
The  manner  of  unloading  the  manure  from  the  box 


Fig.   187.— A  MANURE  WAGON  BOX. 

above  described,  is  shown  in  figure  187.     The  other  side 
and  ends  are  afterwards  taken  off,  and  finally  the  bottom 


156  FAKM  APPLIANCES. 

pieces  are  raised  and  the  sled  or  wagon  is  soon  emptied. 
In  dropping  the  heaps,  they  should  be  left,  as  nearly  as 
may  be,  in  straight  rows,  and  of  a  size  and  distance  apart 
determined  by  the  amount  of  manure  to  be  spread.  If 
they  are  placed  regularly  one  rod  from  another  each  way, 
and  eight  heaps  are  made  from  a  load,  there  will  be 
twenty  loads  per  acre.  In  spreading  such  heaps  the 
manure  is  thrown  eight  feet  each  way,  and  the  whole 
ground  is  covered.  It  is  important  that  the  spreading 
be  done  in  a  careful  and  thorough  manner,  each  portion 
of  the  surface  getting  its  proper  share  of  the  manure.  It 
is  important  also  that  all  lumps  be  broken  up. 


IMPLEMENT  FOE  FINING  MANURE. 

It  is  often  desirable  to  have  fine  manure  for  use  in 
hills  and  drills  ;  and  it  is  also  at  times  necessary,  when 
artificial  fertilizers  are  lumpy,  to  pulverize  them  for  use. 
A  tool  for  this  purpose  is  shown  in  figure  188.     This  is 


Fig.  188. — IMPLEMENTS  FOR  riNTNG  MANURE. 

especially  useful  in  preparing  the  mixture  of  poultry 
manure  and  plaster.  The  implement  is  made  of  a  piece 
of  three-inch  hard-wood  plank,  twelve  inches  wide, 
sawed  and  cut  across  into  notches,  and  surrounded  on 
three  sides  as  shown,  with  a  strip  of  sheet  iron,  or  broad 
hoop-iron  band.  It  is  rubbed  back  and  forth  over  the 
manure  on  a  floor,  and  can  be  used  as  a  shovel,  by  rais- 
ing the  handle,  for  turning  over  and  mixing  the  mass. 


PREPABING  AitTD  HAKBLIKO  fERTlLl^EftS.         IS"? 
MUCK  AND  PEAT. 

Fresli  muck  contains  valuable  plant-food,  but  usually 
jn  an  unavailable  form.  There  are  many  instances  where 
muck,  applied  to  land,  has  proved  positively  injurious. 
Muck  needs  to  be  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  frost,  rain 
and  sun,  or,  as  it  is  t.ermed,  '^  weathered,"  for  a  season, 
before  it  is  fit  to  be  used  as  a  fertilizer.  Even  after  it 
has  thus  been  subjected  to  the  elements,  it  is  usually 
best  to  employ  the  finely  divided  muck  as  an  absorbent 
of  liquid  manure  in  the  stable  or  shed,  or  even  the  barn- 
yard. In  this  way  the  food  elements  are  brought  into  a 
better  state  for  the  plants  to  feed  upon.  If  the 
** weathered"  muck  and  manure  can  be  composted  to- 
gether for  a  time,  a  still  more  valuable  fertilizer  is  ob- 
tained. 

When  one  has  peat  or  muck  in  any  form  upon  his 
farm,  it  should,  of  course,  be  dug  when  the  water  is  low 
in  the  swamps,  and  the  task  of  getting  out  muck  may 


Fig.  189.— A  BOAT  FOB  GETTING  OUT   MUCK. 

aid  essentially  the  work  of  reclaiming  the  swamps.  Thus 
the  main  ditch  may  be  dug  the  width  of  a  cart  track. 
By  making  a  narrow  preliminary  ditch  to  carry  off  the 
water  and  dry  the  ground,  a  horse  and  cart  may  be 
brought  into  the  ditch  and  the  muck  carted  directly  off 
to  dry  ground,  where  it  can  dry,  and  perhaps  be  exposed 
to  a  winter's  freezing  and  thawing,  before  using  in  the 


158  FAKM  APPLlAKCES. 

compost  heaps  or  barn-yard.  In  all  such  ditching  we 
must  begin  at  the  lowest  end  of  the  ditch,  so  that  there 
shall  always  be  a  free  outlet  for  the  water.  A  boat,  to 
be  used  in  removing  muck  from  the  bed  through  a  water 
channel  to  a  hill-side,  is  shown  in  figure  189.  It  is  of 
pine  boards,  nailed  firmly  to  side  planks,  braced  by  a  cross 
plank  at  the  middle.  If  made  nine  feet  long,  four  feet 
wide,  and  sixteen  inches  deep,  it  will  float  a  ton  of  muck. 
A  runner  is  placed  under  each  side,  so  that  the  boat  can 
be  drawn  upon  the  land.  A  hook  or  eye  should  be 
placed  on  each  side,  and  others  at  one  end,  by  which  the 
boat  may  be  drawn.  While  floating,  the  boat  is  moved 
by  handspikes.  The  place  where  the  muck  is  heaped  to 
dry,  should  be  as  near  as  possible  to  the  bed  from  which 
it  is  dug. 

The  muck  may  be  very  peaty,  or  the  material  really 
may  be  peat — that  is,  consisting  almost  entirely  of  vege- 
table matter  and  ash — whereas  muck,  as  the  word  is  ap- 
plied in  the  United  States,  is  used  to  mean  such  as 
would  be  of  little  or  no  value  as  fuel,  from  the  amount 
of  soil  or  sand  or  calcareous  matter  in  it ;  but  it  is  useful 
as  manure.  The  peaty  mucks  are  greatly  benefited  by 
being  treated  with  lime — in  fact  it  is  only  by  acting  upon 
them  with  lime  or  ashes  that  they  can  be  made  rapidly 
fit  for  composts  or  for  application  to  the  land.  The  old 
rule  to  slake  stone-lime  with  strong  brine,  adding  only 
brine  enough  to  dry-slake  the  lime,  is  a  very  good  one. 
Such  lime  may  be  depended  upon  for  the  best  results 
when  composted  with  muck. 


HOW  TO  BURISr  LIME. 

The  application  of  lime  improves  the  mechanical  tex- 
ture of  heavy  soils,  and  this  will  frequently  compensate 
for  its  use,  if  the  lime  can  be  obtained  cheaply.  In  many 


I»REPARINa  AND  HANDLING   i'ERTILIZERS. 


159 


localities,  the  farmer  can  burn  the  lime  he  needs,  and 
thus  obtain  it  at  a  much  less  cost  than  the  market  price. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  build  a  kiln  of  masonry.  The 
cheapest  kiln  is  made  by  digging  an  excavation  in  a 
bank,  as  shown  in  figure  190.  If  much  lime  is  to  be 
burned,  it  will  pay  to  line  this  excavation  with  brick,  and 
place  an  iron  grating  across  near  the  bottom,  beneath 
which  the  fire  is  made.  Whether  the  kiln  is  so  made,  or 
constructed  only  in  a  temporary  manner,  it  must  be 
banked  up  in  front  with  earth,  after  the  limestone  is 
placed  in  it.     Where  the  iron  grating  is  used,  it  should 


Fig.  190.— A  LIME  KILN. 

project  out  in  front  as  far  as  the  bank  of  earth  will  per- 
mit, while  under  it  is  used  a  sheet  iron  door,  to  close  the 
furnace  and  regulate  the  draft.  A  platform  is  built  just 
above  the  projection  of  the  grating,  to  support  the  earth 
banked  against  the  rock.  The  top  of  the  heap  is  covered 
with  earth,  leaving  a  hole  in  the  center  for  a  chimney. 
When  the  kiln  is  only  temporary,  an  arch  of  large  rocks 
takes  the  place  of  the  iron  grating,  and  the  sides  of  the 
kiln  are  lined,  as  the  rocks  are  laid  in,  with  large  stones 
instead  of  brick.  It  will  take  four  or  five  days,  with  a 
good  fire,  to  burn  the  kiln  sufficiently. 

Lime  may  also  be  burned  by  piling  the  stones  in  a 


160  FARM  APPLIAJSrCES. 

conical  heap  above  ground.  Large  stones  are  used  to 
make  an  arch  under  the  heap,  and  the  cavity  below  the 
arch  is  filled  with  fuel.  Immediately  above  the  arch  is 
placed  a  layer  of  dry  wood, then  a  layer  of  lime-stones,  next 
a  layer  of  wood,  and  so  on  until  the  heap  is  completed. 
The  stones  are  laid  rather  loosely,  and  the  entire  heap  is 
covered  with  earth  to  the  depth  of  at  least  a  foot,  to  re- 
tain the  heat,  leaving  an  opening  at  the  top  for  the  es- 
cape of  smoke.  It  will  pay  to  insert  a  short  sheet-iron 
chimney  in  this  opening,  to  increase  the  draft,  as  a  hot 
fire  is  needed.  The  draft  is  regulated  by  opening  or 
closing  the  doorway  under  the  arch.  Do  not  disturb  the 
heap  until  it  is  perfectly  cool,  and  if  the  lime  is  not  to 
be  used  at  once,  it  should  be  protected  from  rain  by  a 
roof,  and  from  surface  water  by  erecting  a  low  bank 
about  it.  Where  limestone  boulders  can  be  gathered  in 
sufficient  quantities,  the  cost  of  lime  will  be  very  little, 
and  even  when  the  rock  must  be  quarried,  burning  lime 
will  frequently  yield  handsome  returns  when  the  weather 
does  not  admit  of  regular  farm  work. 


VALUE  OF  GAS  LIME. 

Gas  lime,  as  its  name  indicates,  is  a  product  of  gas 
works.  Quick  lime  is  spread  in  large  boxes,  called  puri- 
fiers ;  the  gas  passes  through  these,  and  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  lime  is  deprived  of  its  impurities,  especially 
the  sulphur  it  contains.  When  the  lime  ceases  to  act,  it 
is  thrown  out  and  replaced  by  a  fresh  supply.  Gas  lime 
smells  strongly  of  sulphur,  and  contains  the  sulphides  of 
ammonia  and  of  lime.  These  are  fatal  to  plant  life,  and 
before  it  can  be  used  as  a  fertilizer,  the  lime  must  be  ex- 
posed to  the  air  for  some  weeks.  When  unpleasant 
odors  are  no  longer  perceptible,  the  gas  lime  may  be  used 
in  the  same  manner  as  ordinary  lime.     It  still  consists 


Preparing  and  HAKDiiisra  fertilizers,       161 

largely  of  quick  lime,  and  contains  more  or  less  sulphate 
of  lime  (gypsum  or  plaster),  formed  by  the  conversion  of 
the  dangerous  sulphide  into  sulphate  of  lime.  It  may 
be  used  after  exposure  to  mix  with  muck,  but  cannot 
safely  be  used  in  its  fresh  state.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to 
expose  it  before  adding  it  to  the  muck,  and  thus  be  on 
the  safe  side. 


BURKING  CLAY  AND  SODS. 

Burning  clay  for  manurial  purposes,  is  an  old  fashion, 
which  deserves  renewed  notice  and  practice.  Along  with 
the  clay  or  with  ordinary  soil  or  swamp  muck,  may  be 
mingled  coarse  sods,  the  scrapings  of  road-side  ditches, 


Fig.  191.— BURNING   CLAY  AND   SODS. 

the  mossy  surface  and  hard  tussocks  of  swamp  meadows, 
rough  *'  waste  wood,"  coarse  weeds,  and  other  similar 
matters  which  slowly  decay,  and  are  of  no  value  until 
they  are  decomposed.  These  combustible  matters  are 
placed  in  small  heaps  over  an  old  meadow,  which  needs 
renewal,  or  any  other  piece  of  land.  The  rough  waste 
matters  being  gathered,  placed,  and  covered  with  earth, 
so  that  they  will  burn  slowly,  in  the  manner  shown  in 
figure  191;  care  being  taken  to  so  arrange  them,  as  to 
distribute  the  heat  all  through  the  mass  and  the  earth 
with  which  it  is  covered.  These  heaps  are  fired  and  left 
to  bum  slowly  for  several  days,  when  the  dust  and  ashes 


16^  MRM  APPIIAHCES. 

are  spread  over  the  surface.  The  lime  and  potash  thus 
made  available,  both  from  the  waste  material  and  the 
earth  covering,  furnish  considerable  fertilizing  matter. 


COKVERTING  STRAW  IN^TO  MANURE. 

In  the  West  the  object  is  to  feed  one-third  of  the  straw 
stack,  and  convert  the  balance  into  manure  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  The  straw  trampled  under  foot  by  the  cattle 
will  not  thoroughly  rot  within  a  year,  if  left  to  itself.  To 
rot  and  fine,  it  must  be  stirred  about,  and  the  swine  can 
be  made  to  do  this  work.  If  the  hogs  are  fed  on  the 
straw  twice  a  week,  they  will  move  the  entire  mass,  unless 
quite  deep,  rooting  after  stray  grains.  If  their  noses  do 
not  get  to  the  bottom  of  the  heap,  sharpen  a  heavy  stake 
and  prod  it  through  the  straw  ;  then  withdraw  it  and 
drop  shelled  corn  or  oats  into  the  hole.  In  this  way  a 
hole  can  be  made  every  few  feet  over  the  pile,  and  the 
hogs  will  turn  the  manure  thoroughly.  A  hog's  snout  is 
a  very  cheap  and  effective  manure  hook.  The  hogs  must 
not  be  allowed  to  lie  on  the  rotting  straw,  as  this  is  al- 
most sure  to  produce  disease  among  them.  They  become 
too  warm,  and  then  when  they  come  into  the  open  air 
contract  colds,  catarrhal  or  pulmonary  diseases.  If  the 
hogs  are  used  as  above  recommended,  straw  can  be  con- 
verted into  well  rotted  and  fined  manure  within  six 
months  ;  and  if  the  straw  stack  is  put  on  level  ground, 
not  much  will  be  lost  during  this  rapid  conversion. 
When  from  twelve  to  eighteen  months  are  required  for 
the  rotting  of  the  manure — and  this  time  will  be  required 
when  deep  masses  are  not  disturbed — and  the  straw  is  on 
a  side  hill,  not  a  little  of  the  value  of  the  manure  is  lost 
by  being  washed  down  hill. 


PREPAKING  AKD  HANDLING  FERTILIZERS.         163 
MANURE  FROM  MARL  AND  SHELLS. 

Marl  is  quite  abundant  in  some  localities,  and  in  others 
oyster  shells  can  be  had  for  the  hauling.  These  may  be 
profitably  burned  into  lime  for  use  as  a  fertilizer.  In  re- 
gard to  this  use  of  lime,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the 


Fig.  192.— PIT  FOR  BURNING  MARL. 

larger  part  of  the  ash  of  agricultural  plants  consists  of 
lime,  and  that  it  is  thus  an  indispensable  plant  food.  It 
is  rarely  used  without  benefit,  but  is  most  useful  when 
applied  in  a  caustic  state,  or  when  it  is  freshly  burned. 
Enquiries  are  often  made  about  burning  mn,rl  and  shells. 
An  easy  way  of  doing  this  is  in  piles,  commonly  called 
''pits,"  made  as  shown  in  figure  192.  A  level  spot  is 
chosen,  and  a  quantity  of  small  wood  is  spread  over  it, 
either  in  a  square,  or  better,  in  a  circle.  Two  or  three 
double  rows  of  stones,  covered  with  other  flat  stones,  are 
laid  as  at  a,  a,  to  form  flues.  A  layer  of  shells  or  marl 
is  thrown  upon  the  fuel,  and  other  alternate  layers  are 
added,  until  a  conical  heap  is  made.  Chimneys  of  small 
wood  or  chips  are  made  over  the  flues  as  the  heap  is 
built,  and  carried  to  the  top. 


MAKING  FERTILIZER  FROM  BONES. 

It  is  well  enough  known  that  bone,  when  ground  fine, 
makes  one  of  the  best  and  cheapest  manures,  especially 
on  lands  long  in  use.  The  needs  of  farmers  with  abund- 
ant capital  are  well  enough  met  in  the  commercial  fertil- 


164  FARM  API>L1AK0^. 

izers.  With  the  Experiment  Stations  to  analyze  the 
samples,  there  is  not  much  danger  of  adulteration.  The 
high  price  of  this  comminuted  bone,  two  cents  a  pound 
and  upward,  deters  many  farmers  from  using  it  on  a 
large  scale,  even  where  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  invest- 
ment would  pay.  In  a  limited  way,  the  small  farmer 
has  the  means  within  his  reach,  of  reducing  several  bar- 
rels of  bones  to  a  fine  powder  every  year.  A  solution  of 
potash  will  reduce  bone  to  a  fine  condition,  and  make  it 
available  for  plant  food.  Most  farmers  still  use  wood 
for  fuel,  and  the  ashes  from  the  fifteen  or  twenty  cords 
used  in  a  year,  if  saved,  would  reduce  all  the  bones  ordi- 
narily within  reach  of  the  farmer.  The  old-fashioned 
leach  that  used  to  stand  at  almost  every  farmer's  back- 
door for  soap-making,  was  a  good  contrivance  for  reducing 
the  bones.  But  any  tight,  strong  cask  or  box,  will  an- 
swer quite  as  well  for  this  purpose.  Water  poured  upon 
the  ashes  makes  a  lye,  or  solution  of  potash,  strong 
enough  to  decompose  the  bones.  The  casks  should  stand 
under  cover,  so  that  the  quantity  of  water  applied  to  the 
bone  and  ashes  will  be  under  control.  The  time  it  will 
take  to  reduce  the  bone  to  a  powder,  will  depend  upon 
the  amount  of  potash  in  the  ashes,  and  attention  be- 
stowed upon  the  process.  It  is  essential  that  the  ashes 
and  bone  should  be  closely  packed  in  the  mass,  and  that 
they  be  kept  in  a  moist  state,  adding  water  as  it  evapo- 
rates from  the  surface.  The  finer  the  bone  before  it  is 
packed  in  the  ashes,  the  sooner  will  it  be  reduced.  The 
process  can  be  hastened  by  putting  into  the  mass  a  few 
pounds  of  common  potash.  But  this  is  only  necessary  to 
save  time.  Ashes  from  hickory  or  any  other  hard  wood 
contain  sufficient  potash  to  decompose  the  bone.  When 
the  mass  is  soft  enough  to  break  down  with  a  spade  or 
shovel,  it  can  be  mixed  with  land  plaster,  dried  peat,  or 
loam,  to  make  it  convenient  for  handling.  It  is  a  con- 
centrated fertilizer,  to  be  used  with  discretion  in  the  hill. 


APPLIANCES  FOR   GARDEN   AND   ORCHARD.  165 

or  applied  as  a  top  dressing  to  growing  crops  in  the  gar- 
den or  field.  We  are  quite  sure  that  any  one  who  uses 
this  preparation  of  bone  and  wood  ashes,  and  sees  the  vig- 
orous push  it  gives  to  garden  and  other  crops,  will  be 
likely  to  continue  it.  But  many  farmers  near  seaports 
and  railroad  stations,  use  coal  mainly  for  fuel,  and  will 
have  to  resort  to  a  hand  or  horse-mill  to  use  up  the  waste 
bones.  Small  mills  are  extensively  used  by  poultry-men, 
for  crushing  oyster  shells  as  well  as- bone,  and  the  ma- 
chine can  be  adjusted  to  break  the  bone  coarsely  for  hen 
feed.  The  oil  and  gelatine  of  the  bones  have  an  alimen- 
tary value,  and,  turned  into  eggs,  pay  much  better  than 
when  used  as  a  fertilizer  for  the  soil. 


CHAPTEK    IX. 

APPLIANCES  FOR  THE  GARDEN  AND  ORCHARD. 

PAPER   PLANT   PROTECTOR. 

The  most  effectual'means  for  protecting  young  melon 
and  cucumber  plants  against  some  of  their  injurious 


Fig.  193. — PATTERN  FOB  PLANT  PEOTECTOB. 

enemies,  is  to  inclose  the  young  vines  in  bottomless  boxes 
of  sOme  kind.  Various  more  or  less  expensive  and  elabor- 
ate forms  have  been  invented  and  are  offered  for  sale. 
The  principal  objection  to  most  of  these  is  their  cost, 


166  FARM  APPLIA^TCES. 

Figures  193  and  194  represent  a  deyice  which  is  free  from 
this  objection.     It  consists  simplj  of  a  piece  of  card-board 


Fig.  194.— PLANT  PEOTEOTOR. 

or  stiff  paper  of  any  kind,  as  seen  in  figure  193.  When 
the  ends  are  brought  together,  and  the  slits,  indicated 
in  the  engraviog,  made  to  interlock,  a  cone,  as  seen  in 
figure  194,  is  produced  which,  when  put  around  a  plant, 
furnishes  aa  complete  a  protector  against  insects  as  the 
most  expensive  device. 


MUSLIN-COVERED   PLANT  SCREEN". 

To   make  the   device,    figure   195,  take  four    strips, 
one-haJf    inch  thick  and   one    inch    wide,    and  twelve 


Fig.  195.— PLANT  PROTECTOR. 

inches  long ;   bore  a  hole  in  one  end  of  these,  through 
which   pass   a    wire,    the    ends    of  which   are  twisted. 


APPLIANCES   FOR   GARDEN   AND   ORCHARD. 


167 


together,  but  not  so  tightly  as  to  prevent  the  op- 
posite ends  of  the  pieces  from  being  spread  apart  from 
eight  inches  to  a  foot,  making  a  tent-shaped  frame. 
Cheap  muslin  is  tacked  on  the  frame,  spreading  the  pieces 
before  doing  so.  The  muslin  should  be  brought  down  to 
within  about  two  inches  of  the  ends  of  the  sticks,  so  as 
to  allow  them  to  be  run  into  the  ground  that  distance, 
when  in  use.  When  not  in  use,  the  protectors  can  be 
closed  up  and  take  but  little  room,  and  if  properly  cared 
for,  they  will  last  several  seasons. 


PROTECTED   PLANT  LABEL. 


Various  devices  to  prevent  the  washingoff  of  the  names 
written  on  plant  labels  have  been  invented  from  time  to 


Flff.  196.— IMPROVED  PLANT  LABEL. 

time.  A  novel  one  is  shown  in  figure  196.  It  con- 
sists in  fastening,  with  a  small  screw,  a  short  piece  of 
l^bel  ov^r  the  name,  as  seen  at  M;  a  cross-s^qtion  of  th^ 


168  FARM   APPLIANCES. 

label  is  shown  at  N,  and  at  P  the  cover  is  partly  raised.  This 
arrangement  may  be  applied  to  any  size  of  labels.  The 
great  difficulty  with  wooden  labels  is  not  that  the  name 
becomes  obliterated,  but  that  the  portion  in  the  ground 
decays.  This  may  be  avoided  by  using  Locust,  which  is 
expensive. 


POLES  FOR  BEANS  AND   OTHER  CLIMBERS. 

White  birches  and  alders,  so  commonly  used  for  bean 
poles,  are  about  the  poorest,  for  they  last  only  one  season 
at  the  best,  and  sometimes  break  off  at  the  surface  of  the 
ground  and  let  down  the  beautiful  pyramid  of  green  be- 
fore the  pods  are  ripe.  White  Cedar  from  the  swamps  is 
durable,  and  the  rough  bark  enables  the  vines  to  climb 
without  any  help  from  strings,  but  these  are  not  al- 
ways accessible.  Eed  Cedar  is  much  more  widely  distri- 
buted, and  on  the  whole  makes  the  best  bean  pole.  The 
wood  is  as  durable  as  the  White  Cedar,  and  young  trees, 
from  which  poles  are  made,  grow  quite  stout  at  the  ground, 
and,  if  well  set,  will  resist  very  strong  winds.  A  set  of 
these  poles  will  last  for  a  generation.  For  bean  poles,  all 
the  side  branches  are  trimmed  off,  but  for  a  support  for 
ornamental  climbers,  these  may  be  left  on.  A  Cedar, 
six  or  eight  feet  high,  with  the  branches  gradually  short- 
ened from  below  upwards,  makes  an  excellent  support 
for  ornamental  vines.  One  of  these,  covered  with  a 
clematis,  or  other  showy  climber,  makes  a  pyramid  of 
great  beauty.  It  is  well  to  prepare  a  supply  of  poles  for 
beans  and  other  plants  before  the  work  is  pressing. 


POTTING   STRAWBERRY   PLANTS. 

Figure  197  shows  a  simple  method  of  turning  old  tin 
cans  into  contrivances  for  potting  strawberries,     Unsolder 


APFLIANCES   POR   QARDEJST   AND   ORCHARD. 


169 


the  cans,  and  cut  into  pieces  of  about  three  by  seven 
inches.  Turn  back  one  quarter  of  an  inch  of  each  end, 
so  that  when  the  strips  are  bent  around, 
they  will  clasp  together,  as  shown  in  the 
engraving.  In  potting,  the  contrivance 
is  placed  on  the  bed  near  the  runner,  and 
pressed  into  the  ground  with  the  sole  of 
the  foot.  The  sharp  edges  allow  it  to 
push  through  the  soil  easily.  A  runner 
is  placed  in  the  center  of  the  cylinder, 
and  held  by  a  stick  or  stone,  which  also  serves  to  mark 
the  place.  When  the  plants  are  well  rooted,  the  tin  pots 
are  taken  up,  unclasped,  and  the  ball  of  earth  placed  in 
the  new  bed  provided  for  it. 


Fig.  197. 

PLANT  POTTEK. 


STAND   FOR   BERRY   BASKETS. 

During  the  berry  picking  season  much  time  is  lost  in 
the  field,  through  the  lack  of  a  suitable  box  or  stand  for 


Fig.  198.— BERKY  PICKING  STAND. 

transferring  the  filled  baskets  to  the  packing  house. 
Figure  198  illustrates  a  very  convenient  and  simple  stand 
for  this  purpose.  It  may  be  made  to  contain  either  nine, 
twelve,  sixteen,  or  twenty  baskecs,  as  may  be  desired. 
The  handle  is  macje  of  a  barrel  hoop  nailed  firmly  to  the 


170  FARM  APPLIANCES. 

sides.     Suitable  legs  are  attached  to  the  stand  to  raise  it 
from  the  ground. 


TUBE  FOR  WATERING   PLANTS. 

Figure  199  shows  an  implement  for  watering  garden 
plants.     It  is  a  tin  tube,  one-half  inch  in  diameter,  eight 
^^^^    inches  long,  perforated  near  the  bottom,  and 
^^^^    with  a  conical  end.     The  upper  end,  h,  is  in 
^       the  form  of  a  funnel.     In  using  this  device, 
insert  the  conical  end  of  the  tube  in  the  ground 
as  near  the  plant  as  convenient,  without  dis- 
turbing the  roots,  and  turn  the  water  into 
the  funnel.     The  water  will  pass  out  into  the 
soil  through  the  perforations  at  the  bottom. 
The   soil   is  not  baked  on  the  surface  when 
watered  in  this  manner,  and  the  operation  is 
Fig.  199.     ^eiy  quickly  done.      Any  local  tinsmith  can 
make  the  tube  at  a  slight  expense.      A  small 
flower  pot  is  sometimes  sunk  in  the  soil  near  the  plant,  and 
the  water,  when  poured  into  it,  will  gradually  soak  away. 


MOVABLE  TRELLIS  FOR  GRAPES. 

A  grape  trellis,  possessing  several  good  points,  is  shown 
in  figure  200.  The  wooden  posts,  which  need  not  be 
fastened  together,  are  of  3  by  4  stuff.  If  leant  against 
each  other,  their  own  weight  and  that  of  the  vines  will 
hold  them  in  place.  They  are  joined  by  smooth  galvan- 
ized fencing  wire.  The  posts  must  be  braced  inside,  as 
seen  in  the  illustration.  If  it  is  desired  to  lay  down  the 
vines  in  the  fall,  the  staples  can  be  drawn  and  the  wires 
pulled  out,  greatly  simplifying  the  work.  The  trellis 
being  double,  a  row  of  vines  may  be  planted  on  each  side. 
Another  point  in  its  favor  is  that  it  allows  the  picker  to 


APPLIANCES   FOR  GARDEN"   AND   ORCHARD. 


171 


get  at  the  bunches  on  the  under  sides  of  the  vines  easily 
and  without  disturbing  the  vines.  The  trellis  is  as  cheap 
as  any,  is  strong  and  durable,   and  does  not  require  the 


Fig.  200,— MOVABLE  GRAPE  TRELLIS. 

digging  of  holes,  while  it  may  be  taken  out  of  the  way 
when  the  vines  are  laid  down,  and  stored  under  shelter  in 
a  small  space  until  needed  again. 


TOOL  FOR  CUTTING  EDGINGS. 

No  grass-plot,  walk,  or  flower-bed,  set  in 
turf,  is  complete,  unless  its  edges  are  kept 
neatly  trimmed.  The  work  may  be  done 
with  a  sharpened  spade,. but  it  is  belter  to 
use  a  regular  edging-tool.  An  old  hoe  can 
be  taken  to  the  blacksmith,  who  will 
straighten  out  the  shank,  and  round  off 
the  corners  of  the  blade  with  a  file,  and 
the  tool  is  an  excellent  sod-trimmer,  and 
very  light  to  handle.  For  cutting  sods, 
this  makes  much  easier-  work  than  the 
spade,  though  that  is  needed  for  lifting 
the  turf  when  cut.  Using  a  board  as  a  guide,  the  cut- 
ting will  be  rapidly  done. 


172  FARM   APPLIANCES. 

SUBSTITUTE   FOR    PEA   BRUSH. 

The  best  substitute  for  pea  brush  is  a  trellis  of  galvan- 
ized iron  wire.  The  peas  are  sown  in  double  rows,  six 
inches  apart.  A  post,  six  inches  in  diameter,  is  set  firmly 
at  each  end  of  the  row  ;  it  may  be  round,  set  three  feet 
in  the  ground,  and  of  a  bight  suited  to  the  variety  of  pea. 
As  soon  as  the  vines  are  large  enough,  the  wire  is  made 
fast  to  the  post,  about  six  inches  from  the  ground,  carried 
to  and  passed  around  the  post  at  the  other  end,  and  back 
to  the  starting  point.  Here  it  is  made  fast;  it  may  be  cut 
off,  but  still  better,  two  or  three  turns  are  taken  around 
the  post  and  another  double  wire  stretched  about  eight 
inches  above  the  first,  and  so  on  until  as  many  wires  as 
needed  are  put  in  place.  No.  18  wire,  which  measures 
150  feet  to  the  pound,  is  suitable.  If  over  200  feet  long, 
a  similar  post  should  be  set  mid-way  of  the  row.  Stakes 
(plasterers'  laths  will  answer)  are  set  every  ten  or  fifteen 
feet  along  the  row,  to  keep  the  wires  from  sagging. 
These  have  notches  cut  in  them,  in  which  the  wires  rest ; 
or  the  wires  may  be  attached  to  them  by  means  of  staples 
or  cord.  When  no  longer  needed,  the  wire  is  wound  up 
on  a  reel,  and,  with  the  posts,  stored  away  for  another 
year.  Pea-growers  for  market  allow  the  vines  to  lie  upon 
the  ground,  and  claim  that  the  crop  is  not  enough  larger 
when  brushed,  to  pay  the  cost  of  cutting  and  placing  the 
sticks.  In  the  garden,  neatness,  and  especially  the 
greater  ease  of  picking,  make  it  necessary  to  use  brush, 
or  a  substitute.  The  chief  precaution  to  be  observed  is, 
to  have  the  wires  of  this  trellis  so  near  together  that  the 
vines  can  reach  them  as  soon  as  a  support  is  needed. 


TRELLIS   FOR  TOMATOES. 

A  tomato  trellis,  which  never  fails  to  give  satisfaction, 
is  shown  m  figures  202  and  203.      The  standards  or  legs 


APPLIAKCES  FOR  GAKDEK  AND  ORCHARD. 


173 


are  made  of  one  by  one  and  a  half  inch  stuff,  three  feet 
long,  and  tapering  slightly  toward  the  top.  The  slats 
are  selected  lath.  Figure  202  is  an  end  view  of  the  trellis 
in  position  ;  figure  203  shows  the  trellis  folded.     Wires 


Fig,  202.— END  VIEW  OF  TRELLIS. 

extend  across  the  top  of  the  trellis,  and  when  in  position, 
they  loop  over  the  ends  of  the  stands,  and  hold  it  at  the 
proper  width.  The  standards  are  fastened  together  where 
they  cross  with  one-quarter  inch  bolts,  two  inches  long. 
Two  lengths  of  the  trellis  are  sufficient  for  three  tomato 
plants.  It  may  be  placed  in  position  when  the  plants 
have  attained  a  hight  of  six  or  eight  inches.     At  the  end 


i 


f 


1 


203.— THE  TRELLIS  FOLDED. 


of  each  season,  after  the  crop  is  gathered,  the  trellises  are 
taken  up,  given  a  coat  of  paint  or  crude  petroleum,  folded 
and  packed  away  in  a  dry  place.  This  form  of  trellis  has 
the  advantages  of  strength,  lightness  and  portability. 


174  f'ARM   APPLIANCES. 

TOOLS  FOR  KILLING   WEEDS. 

Weeds  are  easily  killed  when  they  are  first  seen,  and 
more  easily  still,  before  they  are  seen  at  all.  A  heavy 
rake  is  better  than  a  hoe  for  this  work,  and  will  do  more 
in  ten  minutes,  than  can  be  done  with  a  hoe  in  an  hour. 
An  implement  made  as  in  figure  Ji04,  will  do  this  work  of 


Fig.  204.— RAKE  FOR  WEEDING. 

weeding  in  an  excellent  manner.  This  is  made  of  a 
heavy  rake  head,  with  a  handle  attached  as  shown,  and 
furnished  with  a  number  of  teeth  placed  about  an  inch 
apart.  The  teeth  may  be  made  of  forty-penny  nails,  or 
one-quarter  inch  round  iron,  the  weight  of  which  will 
bury  them  in  the  soil  without  any  effort.  It  is  much 
more  easy  to  work  with  this  implement,  than  with  a 
lighter  rake.  .  The  beds  may  be  cleaned  close  to  the 
plants,  and  it  should  be  used  as  soon  as  the  weeds  begin 
to  appear. 

For  killing  perennial  weeds,  a  spud  is  a  convenient  im- 
plement with  which  to  cut  off  the  roots  below  the  surface. 


Fig.  205. — SPUD  FOR  KILLING  WEEDS. 

A  good  spud  may  be  made  from  a  carpenter's  chisel  of 
large  size.  This  should  be  attached  to  a  handle  sufficiently 
long  to  allow  it  to  be  used  without  stooping.  By  thrust- 
ing this  diagonally  against  the  root,  that  may  be  cut  off 
as  far  below  the  surface  as  desired.      Some  weeds,  how- 


APPLIAKCES  FOR  GARDEK   AND  OUCIlARIX  115 

ever,  such  as  dandelion,  plantain,  etc.,  are  not  killed  by 
merely  cutting  them,  but  need  the  application  of  some 
destructive  liquid  to  make  complete  work.  In  England, 
oil  of  vitroil  (sulphuric  acid)  is  used  for  this  purpose,  but 
that  is  dangerous  to  handle,  and  must  be  kept  in  glass. 
Strong  brine  or  coal-oii  is  sometimes  applied  to  the  roots 
to  destroy  them.  We  give  an  illustration  of  a  vessel  for 
the  application  of  liquids,  which  is  attached  to  the  spud, 
and  allows  the  cutting  and  killing  to  be  done  at  one 
operation.  Figure  205  shows  the  spud,  a,  with  its  attach- 
ment, a  tin  vessel  with  a  tapering  nozzle  and  holding 
about  a  quart,  at  h.  At  c,  is  a  valve,  which  covers  a 
small  air-hole,  against  which  it  is  pressed  by  a  spring, 
and  which  may  be  raised  by  the  cord,  e.  After  cutting 
the  root,  a  pull  of  the  cord  will  raise  the  valve,  allow  air 
to  enter  the  vessel,  and  a  small  quantity  of  the  liquid  will 
pass  out  and  come  in  contact  with  the  root. 


VARIOUS  FRUIT   PICKERS. 

A  good  picker  is  shown  in  figures  206,  207  and  208. 
Figure  206  is  the  picker.  The  pieces,  a  and  I,  are  iron, 
shaped  as  seen  in  the  cut.  They  work  on  a  rivet,  and 
are  fastened  securely  to  the  end  of  the  pole.  Holes  are 
punched  through  a  and  h,  and  stiff  wires  inserted,  form- 
ing a  cage  for  the  fruit.  The  toothed  end  of  piece 
I  is  sharp,  and  slides  over  the  end  of '  a,  which  may  be 
sharp  or  not.  A  small  hole  is  bored  through  the  pole, 
and  a  notch  cut  in  the  front  edge  for  a  small  pulley,  d. 
A  strong  cord  is  attached  to  the  lower  end  of  ^,  and  passes 
through  the  hole  over  the  pulley,  and  down  the  pole 
through  screw-eyes  placed  a  short  distance  apart.  Figure 
207  is  a  section  of  the  lower  end  of  the  pole.  Eighteen 
inches  from  the  end,  the  pole  is  squared  for  about  fifteen 
inches.     Over  this  squared  portion  is  fitted  a  sliding-box 


176 


i'ARM  APPLI ALICES. 


handle.  A  thumb-stop  is  fastened  to  the  upper  end,  &)S 
shown  in  figure  208.  The  thumb  end  is  held  up  by  a 
small  spring,  which  presses  the  upper  end  into  notches  in  an 
iron  rachet-bar  fitted  into  the  pole.  A  screw-eye  is  inserted 
in  the  upper  end,  and  a  cord  attached.  The  pole  may  be 
of  any  desired  length. 
To  pick  apples,  grasp  the  pole  at  the  lower  end  with 


Fig.  206. 


Fig.  208. 


one  hand,  and  by  the  sliding-box  handle  with  the  other. 
Press  the  thumb-piece  and  slide  it  up,  and  the  weight  of 
piece  h  opens  the  jaws  of  the  picker.  When  the  apple  is 
in  the  cage,  draw  the  slides  down  until  the  points  of  the 
picker  meet  on  the  apple  stem.  The  thumb-stop  will 
hold  it  secure.  Turn  the  pole  slowly  without  pulling, 
pushing,  or  shaking  the  limb,  and  the  apple  will  come  off 


APPLIANCES   FOR   GARDEI^   AN^D   ORCHARD. 


17^ 


easily.  The  cage  of  the  picker  should  be  large  enough  to 
contain  the  largest  apple,  and  enough  wires  may  be 
attached  to  hold  the  smallest.  The  jaws  should  not  be 
over  one-eighth  of  an  inch  thick,  flattened  on  the  inside, 
to  prevent  bruising  the  ripe  fruit.  They  maybe  wrapped 
with  cloth ,  if  thought  necessary. 
A  cheap  and  simple  picker  may  be  made  by  bending  a 


Fig.  209, 


Fig.  211. 


stiff  wire  into  the  form  of  a  circle  six  inches  in  diameter, 
with  one  side  of  the  circle  prolonged  three  inches  into  a 
V-shaped  projection.  Upon  this  wire  sew  a  cloth  bag  a 
foot  or  so  deep,  and  fasten  it  on  to  a  pole  by  the  end 
opposite  the  V-shaped  extremity.  This  V-shaped  projec- 
tion will  serve  as  a  corner,  in  which  to  catch  the  apple 
and  pull  it  off,  allowing  it  to  fall  into  the  bag.     An  excel- 


178  FARM  A?PLIAKCES. 

lent  picker,  as  shown  in  figure  210,  can  be  made  from 
stiff  wire  by  a  tinner.  The  span  across  the  top  should 
be  about  six  inches,  and  the  depth  from  eight  to  ten 
inches.  The  wires  should  not  be  more  than  a  half-inch 
apart  at  their  tips.  The  wires  being  more  or  less  flexible, 
the  apple  is  apt  to  draw  through  them,  if  they  are  not 
close  together.  Care  should  also  be  taken  to  have  the  im- 
plement made  as  light  as  possible.  A  bungling  mechanic 
will  probably  use  too  much  solder.  Another  good  picker 
is  pictured  in  figure  209.  It  is  light,  durable  and  pleasant 
to  handle.  When,  however,  an  apple,  being  very  short 
stemmed,  IIqs  close  to  a  limb,  it  is  much  more  easily 
removed  by  the  former  device  than  by  this.  A  simple, 
flattened  hook,  with  a  thin,  almost  cutting  edge,  secured 
on  the  end  of  a  pole,  figure  211,  is  often  handy  for  pulling 
off  stray  apples.  This  is  the  best  implement  for  thinning 
apples. 


FRUIT   LADDERS. 

The  construction  is  easily  understood  from  tne  engrav- 
ing. The  method  of  using  deep  fruit  baskets  with  a  hook 
attached  is  also  shown  in  figure  112.  The  use  of  a  com- 
mon grain  bag  as  a  receptacle  for  picking  fruit  has  some 
important  advantages.  One  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  bag  is 
tied  to  the  corresponding  corner  at  the  bottom,  first  put- 
ting an  apple  in  the  corner  to  hold  the  string  from  slip- 
ping off.  The  bag  is  then  hung  over  the  shoulder  with 
the  mouth  in  front.  The  picker  has  both  hands  free  and 
can  empty  the  bag  by  lowering  it  into  the  barrel,  without 
bruising  the  fruit. 

Another  form  is  shown  in  figure  213.  To  make  it, 
select  a  chestnut  pole,  eighteen  feet  long,  or  of  the  desired 
length.  At  about  four  feet  from  the  top,  or  smaller  end 
of  the  pole,  nail  on  a  band  of  hoop  iron,  to  prevent  split- 


APPLIANCES   FOR   GARDI^N   AHD   OrCHA-RD. 


179 


ting,  and  rip  up  the  pole  in  the  center  as  far  as  the  band. 
The  halves  of  the  pole  are  spread  apart  three  and  a  half 
feet  at  the  base,  and  secured.  The  places  for  the  rungs 
are  then  laid  out,  and  tlie  holes  bored  ;  those  for  the 
lower  rungs  should  be  one  and  three-eighths  inch,  the 
upper  one  inch  ;  drive  them  in  place  and  wedge  fast. 


Fig.  212.— A  HANDY  FKUIT  LADDER. 


Fiff.  213,— FKUIT  LADDER. 


The  distance  between  the  rungs  is  usually  a  foot ;  when 
farther  apart,  they  are  fatiguing  in  use.  A  ladder  of  this 
kind,  on  account  of  its  small  width  above,  is  easily  thrust 
in  among  the  branches,  without  breaking  them,  and  is 
more  convenient  to  use  on  large  trees,  than  those  of  the 
ordinary  shape. 


180  FARM  APPLIAKCES. 

JAPANESE  PRUKIl^G   SAW. 

The  Japanese  use  a  pull  saw  instead  of  a  push  saw. 
One  of  these  is  quite  handy,  especially  for  pruning.  The 
teeth  are  like  those  of  a  rip  saw,  reversed,  and  cut  when 
the  saw  is  pulled  towards  one.     One  of  these  saws,  made 

Fig.  214.— PRUNING  SAW. 

as  shown  in  figure  214,  and  fixed  to  a  pole  of  convenient 
size,  will  be  found  very  useful  in  cutting  branches  of  tall 
trees,  as  in  pulling  there  is  no  tendency  to  bend  the  saw 
or  the  pole. 


RABBITS  AKD  MICE  IN  THE   ORCHARD. 

Not  the  least  of  the  enemies  of  young  orchard  trees  is 
the  rabbit.  He  will  not  injure  the  trees  in  summer, 
when  he  has  an  abundance  of  succulent  food  ;  but  in 
winter  the  tender  bark  is  to  him  a  dainty  that  he  will 
partake  of,  if  it  is  not  made  distasteful  to  him,  or  he  is  not 
kept  away.  Making  the  snow  into  a  solid  mound  about 
the  tree  will  keep  away  mice,  but  not  rabbits,  though  it 
is  often  said  it  would.  The  rabbits  will  get  on  the  mound 
and  nibble  away.  Besides,  we  don't  have  snow  half  the 
time  during  the  winter.  The  best  way  is  to  make  the 
bark  distasteful  to  the  rabbit.  He  likes  neither  blood, 
nor  grease,  nor  the  odor  of  flesh.  When  you  butcher, 
take  the  waste  parts  of  the  animals,  and  with  these  parts 
rub  the  trunks  as  far  up  as  the  rabbits  can  reach.  The 
rabbits  never  nibble  a  tree  so  treated,  while  the  grease  or 
blood  remains. 

If  the  rabbits  ''bark"  a  tree,  the  first  thing  to  be  done 
is  to  examine  the  extent  of  the  injury.     Frequently  it  is 


APPLIANCES  FOR  GARDE:N^  AND   ORCHAED.  181 

not  so  bad  as  it  looks,  and  the  inner  bark  is  not  entirely 
removed.  If  this  covers  even  a  fourth 'of  the  wounded 
portion,  and  connects  the  bark  above  the  wound  with  that 
below  it,  the  chances  are  that  the  wound  will  heal,  if  dry- 
ing can  be  prevented.  The  ordinary  grafting  wax,  applied 
on  old,  worn  cotton  cloth,  or  on  paper,  as  used  in  graft- 
ing, should  be  applied  over  the  injured  portion.  This, 
especially  on  quite  small  trees,  will  prevent  all  evaporation. 
Another  application  is  the   old  grafting  clay,  made  by 


Fig.  315. — MANNER  OF  INSERTING  THE  CIONS. 

thoroughly  mixing  and  beating  together  stiff  clay  with 
half  as  much  cow  manure.  Apply  this  over  the  wound 
quite  thickly,  and  fasten  it  in  place  by  wrapping  with  an 
old  cloth  and  tying  with  strings.  If  the  inner  bark  is 
completely  gone,  nothing  remains  but  to  bridge  over  the 
wound  with  cions,  and  thus  restore  the  communication  be- 
tween the  roots  and  top.  The  cions  may  be  taken  from  the 
same  tree,  if  they  can  be  spared,  or  those  from  another  of 
the  same  kind  will  answer  as  well.     The  methods  of  cut- 


182  FARM  APPLIAlfCES. 

ting  the  cions  and  inserting  them  are  so  plainly  shown  in 
figure  215  tliat  description  is  unnecessary.  A  small  chisel 
may  be  used  to  aid  in  setting  the  cions.  This  method  of 
cutting  the  ends  is  better  than  making  the  slope  on  the 
opposite  side.  If  the  wound  is  low  enough,  it  may  be 
covered  with  a  mound  of  earth ;  if  not,  employ  one  of 
the  methods  suggested  above. 


IMPLEMENTS   USED   IK    CRANBERRY   CULTURE. 

A  turfing  axe,  shown  figure  216,  consists  of  a   thin 
steel  blade,  hatchet-faced,  and  about  six  inches  square. 


Fig.  216.— TURFING  AXE. 

This  blade  is  made  fast  to  a  stout  hickory  handle,  some 
two  feet  and  a  half  long,  in  the  same  manner  as  a  common 
wood  axe.      In   expert  hands,  this  axe  does  wonderful 


Fig.  217. — HAULING  BAKE. 

execution  upon  the  tough,  interlacing  roots,  with  which 
the  surface  of  the  bog  is  filled. 

A  hoe,  shaped  like  a  grubbing  hoe,  is  the  implement 
used  for  grading.  Every  farmer  knows  what  that  is  ; 
but  the  grading  hoe,  figure  218,  should  be  made  of  the 


APPLIAJ^CES   FOR   GARDEN^   AI^D   ORCHARD.  183 

best  steel,  and  ground  to  an  edge  like  an  axe — the  object 
being  to  cut  all  the  fine  roots  to  pieces,  and  get  out  such 


Fig    218. — GRADING  HOB. 

of  them  as  escaped  when  the  trees,  stumps,  shoots,  and 
larger  wood  were  removed. 


Fig.  219.— SPREADER. 

The  sand   is    spread   by   means   of   a    '*  Spreader," 
figure  219,  made  of  a  piece  of  one-inch  white  oak  board, 


Fig.  220.— MARKER. 

about  fifteen  inches  long  by  three  inches  wide,  and  fas- 
tened to  a  handle. 


184  FA  KM   APPLIAIS^CES. 

A  "Marker,"  shown  in  figure  220,  is  made  of  a  piece 
of  two  by  four  inch  joist,  about  nine  feet  long,  having 
teeth  eighteen  inches  apart,  and  a  handle  the  length  of  a 
rake-handle.  The  teeth  are  eight  inches  long,  made  of 
white  oak,  driven  through  holes  bored  in  the  joist  for  the 
purpose.  The  implement  is  made  similar  to  a  common 
rake  with  teeth  far  apart,  and  the  whole  made  stronger 
to  stand  harder  usage,  by  having  stays  running  from  the 
handle  to  the  head,  which  holds  the  teeth. 


CHAPTER    X 


APPLIANCES  FOR  SLAUGHTERING  HOGS  AND  CURING 
THE  MEAT. 

BTICKIKG  HOGS. 

The  usual  method  of  killing  hogs  on  the  farm  is  to 
thrust  a  sticking  knife  into  the  throat,  severing  the  large 
veins.  It  requires  experience,  nerve,  and  skill  to  do  this 
properly.  The  hog  should  be  thrown  on  its  back,  and 
held  there  by  an  assistant,  while  the  operator  gives  the 
fatal  thrust.  With  a  keen  double-edged  knife  in  his 
right  hand,  he  feels  with  his  left  for  the  proper  place  to 
insert  the  knife.  Having  found  it,  he  sticks  in  the  knife, 
aiming  directly  toward  the  base  of  the  tail.  If  properly 
done,  the  large  veins  are  severed,  and  the  hog  soon  bleeds 
to  death.  If  the  knife  veers  to  either  side,  a  gash  is 
made  in  one  shoulder,  the  death  is  slow  and  painful,  and 
the  blood  settles  in  the  flesh. 


A   BETTER    WAT. 

With  a  view  to  avoiding  all  mishaps,  saving  pain,  and 
leaving  the  operator  free  to  sever  the  veins  without  em- 
barrassment from  the  squealing  and  struggling  victim,  the 


SLAUGHTERIN-G   HOGS   AI^-D   CURIIS"G   MEA.T. 


185 


design  called  **The  Stunner,"  figure  221  has  been  in- 
vented. It  fits  over  the  head  of  the  intended  victim,  as 
seen  in  figures  222  and  223,  and  a  sharp  blow  on  the 
plate  over  the  forehead  drives  the  pin  into  the  brain, 


Fig.  221. 

THE  STUNNEB. 


Fig.  222.  Fig.  223. 

THE  8TUNNEK  ADJUSTED. 


causing  insensibility  instantly,  and  death  will  not  be 
long  delayed.  The  use  of  such  a  mask  is  made  compul- 
sory in  many  countries  of  Europe.  Such  a  contrivance 
is  not  only  convenient,  but  humane,  and  appeals  to  the 
better  nature  of  every  man  who  is  under  the  necessity  of 
killing  a  dumb  beast.  As  soon  as  the  animal  is  struck, 
the  throat  is  cut  to  insure  free  bleeding. 


HBATIiq^G   THE   WATER    FOR  SCALDING. 

For  heating  scalding  water  and  rendering  lard,  when 
one  has  not  kettles  or  cauldrons  ready  to  set  in  brick  or 
stone,  a  simple  method  is  to  put  down  two  forked  stakes 
firmly,  as  shown  in  figure  224,  lay  in  them  a  pole  to  sup- 
port the  kettles,  and  build  a  wood  fire  around  them  on 
the  ground.  A  more  elaborate  arrangement  is  shown 
in  figure  225,  which  serves  not  only  to  heat  the  water, 
but  as  a  scalding  tub  as  well.     It  is  made  of  two-inch 


186  FARM  APPLIAIS'CES. 

pine  boards,  six  feet  long,  and  two  feet  wide,  rounded  at; 
the  ends.  A  heavy  plate  of  sheet  iron  is  nailed  with  rod 
nails  on   the   bottom  and  ends.     Let  the  iron  project 


Fig.  224. — HEATING  THE  WATER, 

about  one  inch  on  each  side.  The  ends,  being  rounded, 
will  prevent  the  fire  from  burning  the  wood-work.  They 
also  make  it  handier  for  dipping  sheep,  scalding  hogs,  or 


Fig.  225.— HEATING  AND   SCALDING  VAT. 

for  taking  out  the  boiled  food.  The  box  is  set  on  two 
walls  eighteen  inches  high,  and  the  hind  end  of  the 
brick-work  is  built  into  a  short  chimney. 


SCALDING  TUBS  AND    YATS. 


Various  devices  are  employed  for  scalding  hogs,  with- 
out lifting  them  by  main  force.     For  heavy  hogs  one 


'^^^ 


MIKITY)) 

SLAUGHTERING  HOGS  AI^O  CCBIlfG  J^^^X- /,<''    187 

may  use  three  strong  poles,  fastened  at  the  top  with  a 
log  chain,  which  supports  a  simple  tackle,  figure  226.  A 
very  good  arrangement  is  shown  in  figure  227.  A  sled  is 
made  firm  with  driven  stakes,  and  covered  with  planks 
or  boards.  At  the  rear  end  the  scalding  cask  is  set  in 
the  ground,  its  upper  edge  on  a  level  with  the  platform, 
and  inclined  as  much  as  it  can  be  and  hold  sufficient 
water.  A  large,  long  hog  is  scalded  one  end  at  a  time. 
The  more  the  cask  is  inclined,  the  easier  will  be  the  lifting. 


Fig.  226.— TACKLE   FOB  HEA.VT  HOGS. 

A  modification  of  the  above  device  is  shown  in  figure 
228.  A  lever  is  rigged  like  a  well  sweep,  usmg  a  crotched 
stick  for  the  post,  and  a  strong  pole  for  the  sweep,  a 
white  oak  stick — such  as  every  farmer  who  can  do  so, 
should  have  laid  up  to  season.  The  iron  rod  on  which 
the  sweep  moves  must  be  strong  and  stiff.  A  trace  chain 
is  attached  to  the  upper  end,  and  if  the  end  of  the  chain 


188 


FAEM  APPLIANCES. 


has  a  ring  instead  of  a  hook,  it  will  be  quite  convenient. 
In  use,  a  table  is  improvised,  unless  a  strong  one  for  the 
purpose  is  at  hand,  and  this  is  set  near  the  barrel.  A 
noose  is  made  with  the  chain  about  the  leg  of  the  pig, 


Fig.  227.— SCALDING  CASK  ON  A  SLED. 

and  he  is  soused  in,  going  entirely  under  water,  lifted 
out  when  the  bristles  start  easily,  and  laid  upon  the  table, 
while  another  is  made  ready. 

Figure  229  shows  a  more  permanent  arrangement.  It 
is  a  trough  of  plank,  with  a  sheet  iron  bottom,  which  can 
be  set  over  a  temporary  fire-place  made  in  the  ground. 


Fig.  228.— SCALDING  PIGS  IN  A  HOGSHEAD. 

The  vat  may  be  six  feet  long,  three  feet  wide,  and  two 
and  one-half  feet  deep,  so  as  to  be  large  enough  for  a 
good-sized  hog.  Three  ropes  are  fastened  on  one  side,  for 
the  purpose  of  rolling  the  hog  over  into  the  vat,  and 


SLAUGHTERING  HOGS  AND  CURING  MEAT.  189 

rolling  it  out  on  tlie  other  side  when  it  is  scalded.  A 
number  of  slanting  cross-pieces  are  fitted  in,  crossing 
each  other,  so  as  to  form  a  hollow  bed  in  which  the  car- 
cass lies,  with  the  ropes  under  it,  by  which  it  can  be 


, — SCALDING  VAT. 


moved  and  drawn  out.  These  cross-pieces  protect  the 
sheet-iron  bottom,  and  keep  the  carcass  from  resting 
upon  it.  A  large,  narrow  fire-place  is  built  up  m  the 
ground,  with  stoned  sides,  and  the  trough  is  set  over  it. 
A  stove-pipe  is  fitted  at  one  end,  and  room  is  made  at  the 
front  by  which  wood  may  be  supplied  to  the  fire,  to  heat 
the  water.  A  sloping  table  is  fitted  at  one  side  for  the 
purpose  of  rolling  up  the  carcass,  when  too  large  to  han- 
dle otherwise,  by  means  of  the  rope  previously  mentioned. 
On  the  other  side  is  a  frame  made  of  hollowed  boards  set 
on  edge,  upon  which  the  hog  is  scraped  and  cleaned. 
The  right  temperature  for  scalding  a  hog  is  one  hundred 
and  eighty  degrees;  and  with  a  thermometer  there  need 
be  no  fear  of  overscalding,  or  a  failure  from  the  lack  of 


Fig.  230. — A  GAMBRBL. 

sufficient  heat ;  while  the  water  can  be  kept  at  the  right 
temperature  by  regulating  the  fuel  under  the  vat.  If  a 
spot  of  hair  is  obstinate,  cover  it  with  some  of  the  removed 
hair,  and  dip  on  hot  water.     Always  pull  out  hair  and 


lOO  FARM  APPLIANCES. 

bristles,  shaving  any  off  leaves  unpleasant  stubs  in  the 
skin. 

Gambrels  should  be  provided  of  different  lengths,  if 
the  hogs  vary  much  in  size,  like  figure  230,  or  in  other 
convenient  shapes.  These  should  be  of  hickory  or  other 
tough  wood,  for  safely,  and  to  be  so  small  as  to  require 
little  gashing  of  the  legs  to  receive  them. 


HANGII^Q  Al^D  CLEAN  IITQ  THE  HOGS. 

Figure  231  shows  a  very  cheap  and  convenient  device 
for  hanging  either  hogs  or  beeves.  The  device  is  in  shape 
much  like  an  old  fashioned  *' saw-buck,"  with  the  lower 
rounds  between  the  legs  omitted.     The  legs,  of  which 


Fig.  231. — RAISING  A  SLAUGHTERED  AOTMAL. 

there  are  two  pairs,  should  be  about  ten  feet  long,  and 
set  bracing,  in  the  manner  shown  in  the  engraving.  The 
two  pairs  of  legs  are  held  together  by  an  inch  iron  rod, 
five  or  six  feet  in  length,  provided  with  threads  at  both 


SLAUGSTERIKG   HOGS  AKD   CURING  MEAT.  Id  I 

ends.  The  whole  is  made  secure  by  means  of  two  pairs 
of  nuts,  which  fasten  the  legs  to  the  connecting  iron  rod. 
5^  straight  and  smooth  wooden  roller  rests  in  the  forks 
made  by  the  crossing  of  the  legs,  and  one  end  projects 
about  sixteen  inches.  In  this  two  auger  holes  are  bored, 
in  which  levers  may  be  inserted  for  turning  the  roller. 
The  rope,  by  means  of  which  the  carcass  is  raised,  passes 
over  the  roller  in  such  a  way  that  in  turning,  by  means 
of  the  levers,  the  animal  is  raised  free  from  the  ground. 
When  sufficiently  elevated,  the  roller  is  fastened  by  one 
of  the  levers  to  the  nearest  leg. 

Skill  and  practice  are  needed  to  take  out  the  intestines 
neatly,  without  cutting  or  breaking  them  and  soiling  the 
flesh.  Run  the  knife  lightly  down,  marking  the  belly 
straight,  cut  to  the  bone  between  the  thighs,  and  in  front 
of  the  ribs  and  below,  and  split  the  rear  bones  with  an 
axe  carefully,  not  to  cut  beyond  them  ;  open  the  abdomen 
by  running  the  hand  or  two  fingers  behind  the  knife  with 
its  edge  turned  outward.  Little  use  of  the  knife  is 
required  to  loosen  the  entrails.  The  fingers,  rightly  used, 
will  do  most  of  the  severing.  Small  strong  strings,  cut 
in  proper  lengths,  should  be  always  at  hand  to  quickly 
tie  the  severed  ends  of  any  small  intestines  cut  or  broken 
by  chance.  An  expert  will  catch  the  entire  offal  in  a 
large  tin  pan  or  wooden  vessel,  holding  it  between  himself 
and  the  hog.  Unskilled  operators,  and  those  opening 
very  large  hogs,  need  an  assistant  to  hold  this.  The 
entrails,  and  then  the  liver,  heart,  etc^  being  all  removed, 
thoroughly  rinse  out  any  blood  or  filth  that  may  have 
escaped  inside.  Spread  the  cut  edges  apart  by  inserting 
a  short  stick  between  them,  to  admit  free  circulation  of 
cool  air.  When  dripping  is  over,  or  the  hanging  posts 
are  wanted-for  other  carcasses,  remove  the  dressed  ones, 
and  hang  them  in  a  cool  cellar  or  other  safe  place,  until 
the  whole  flesh  is  thoroughly  cooled  through.  Removing 
the  lard  from  the  long  intestines  requires  expertness  that 


192  tARM   Al>PLIAKCES. 

can  only  be  learned  by  practice.  The  fingers  do  most  of 
this  cleaner,  safer  and  better  than  a  knife.  A  light  feed 
the  night  before  killing  leaves  the  intestines  less  distended 
and  less  likely  to  be  broken. 


PACKING    PORK. 

Pack  closely  in  the  barrel,  first  rubbing  salt  well  into 
all  exposed  ends  of  bones,  and  sprinkle  well  between  each 
layer,  using  no  brine  until  forty-eight  hours  after,  and 
then  let  the  brine  be  strong  enough  to  bear  an  egg.  After 
six  weeks  take  out  the  haras  and  bacon  and  hang  in  the 
smoke-house.  When  warm  weather  brings  danger  of 
flies,  smoke  a  week  with  hickory  chips,  avoiding  heating 
the  air  much.  If  one  has  a  dark,  close  smoke-house,  as 
the  writer  has,  the  meat  can  hang  in  all  the  summer  ; 
otherwise  pack  in  boxes,  putting  layers  of  sweet,  dry  hay 
between.  Long  experience  has  convinced  me  that  this 
method  of  packing  is  preferable  to  packing  in  dry  salt  or 
ashes.  Much  lard  is  injured  or  spoiled  by  overheating 
and  burning  some  portions  ;  the  smallest  quantity  scorched 
gives  a  bad  flavor  to  the  whole.  A  bucket  of  water  in 
the  rendering  kettle  prevents  this,  if  the  fire  is  kept  from 
rising  too  high  around  the  sides.  The  water  is  easily 
separated  at  the  bottom,  if  not  slowly  evaporated  oil  dur- 
ing the  rendering.  Cutting  the  leaf,  etc.,  fine  with  a 
sharp  hatchet  or  cleaver,  facilitates  the  free  extraction  of 
the  lard. 


BOX   FOR   SALTI]^G   MEATS. 

A  trough  made  as  shown  at  figure  232  is  very  handy 
for  salting  meats,  such  as  hams,  bacon  and  beef,  for 
drying.  It  is  made  of  any  wood  which  will  not  flavor  the 
meat ;  ash,  spruce  or  hemlock  plank,  one  and  a  half  inch 


SLAtTGHTERlKG  HOGS  Ai^D  CURI]S"G  MEAT. 


193 


thick,  being  better  than  any  others.     A  good  size  is  four 
feet  long,  by  two  and  a  half  wide,  and  one  and  a  half 


Fig.  232.— CONVENIENT  SALTING  TROUGH. 

deep.  The  joints  should  be  made  tight  with  white-lead 
spread  upon  strips  of  cloth,  and  screws  are  vastly  better 
than  nails  to  hold  the  trough  together. 


MAKII^G   SAUSAGES. 

The  quality  will  depend  largely  upon  the  kind  of  meat  or 
meats  used.     Cutting  fine  is  desirable,  running  twice  or 


Fig.  233.— A  SAUSAGE  FILLER. 

of tener  through  the  machine,  unless  it  be  a  better  one  than 
most  of  those  in  use.      If  skins  are  not  used,  the  meat, 


194  i'ARM  APPLIAKCI!S. 

after  being  cut  and  seasoned,  may  be  pressed  into  cakes 
with  the  hands,  the  same  as  if  wanted  for  frying,  and 
packed  in  earthen  jars.  For  long  keeping,  into  sum- 
mer if  desired,  make  into  suitable  cakes  and  fry, 
pack  in  jars,  and  fill  these  with  melted  lard.  The  pieces 
can  be  taken  out  at  any  time  and  simply  warmed  through  ; 
they  will  be  as  sweet  and  fresh  as  when  first  prepared. 
Don't  spoil  sausage  meat  with  spices  or  mint.  Use  salt 
and  pepper  moderately,  leaving  every  one  to  apply  these 
freely  in  eating,  as  individually  desired.  Figure  233 
shows  a  simple  bench  and  lever  arrangement  to  be  used 
with  the  common  sausage  filler,  which  lightens  the  work 
so  much  that  even  a  small  boy  can  use  it  with  ease,  and 
any  person  can  get  up  the  whole  apparatus  at  home 
with  little  or  no  expense.  An  inch  thick  pine 
board,  a  foot  wide,  and  four  and  a  quarter  feet  long,  is 
fitted  with  four  legs,  two  and  a  half  feet  long,  notched 
into  its  edges,  with  the  feet  spread  outward  to  give  firm- 
ness. Two  oak  standards,  eighteen  inches  high,  are  set 
thirty-four  inches  apart,  with  a  slot  down  the  middle  of 
each,  for  the  admission  of  an  oak  lever  eight  feet  long. 
The  left  upright  has  three  or  four  holes  above  each  other 
for  the  lever  pin,  as  shown  in  the  engraving.  The  tin 
filler  is  set  into  the  bench  nearer  the  left  upright,  and 
projects  below  for  receiving  the  skins.  Above  the  filler 
is  a  follower  fitting  closely  into  it,  and  its  top  working 
very  loosely  in  the  lever,  to  allow  full  play  as  it  moyes  up 
and  down.  The  engraving  shows  the  parts  and  mode  of 
working. 


SMOKING  THE  MEAT. 


The  building  shown  at  figure  234  is  seven  feet  in  length, 
six  feet  wide,  and  seven  feet  high  from  the  ground  floor 
to  the  lower  side  of  the  plate.  It  should  be  boarded  up 
with  matched  stuff,  or  well  battened.  The  frame  is  four  by 


SLAUGHTERING  ilOGS  AND   CURING   MEAT.  195 

four  timber  at  the  top  and  bottom,  to  which  the  boards  are 
nailed. 

All  smoke-houses  should  be  -fire-proof,  but  the  expense 
involved  in  the  construction  of  a  brick  or  stone  building, 
is  more  than  many  farmers  and  others  care  to  incur. 
A  wooden  building,  containing  a  fire-proof  bin,  that  will 
not  interfere  with  the  use  of  the  building  for  smoking  meat, 
will  answer.     Any  wooden  smoke-house  may  be  easily 


Fig.  234.— IMPEOVED  SMOKE  HOUSE. 

and  cheaply  transformed  to  contain  a  fire-proof  receptacle 
for  ashes.  In  figure  234,  is  given  a  view  of  the  interior 
of  the  smoke-house,  showing  plainly  the  form  and  location 
of  the  ash-bin.  The  bin  is  made  from  brick  (long,  nar- 
row, flat  stones  will  answer),  and  is  built  across  one  end 
or  side  of  the  building.  The  bricks  are  laid  length- 
wise, and  one  deep.  The  bin  should  be  nearly  three 
feet  in  height,  and  occupy  about  half  the  floor  space 


196 


FARM  APPLIAKCES. 


of  the  building.  For  readily  removing  the  ashes,  coat 
the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  bin  with  mortar.  No  wood 
should  be  used.  For  smoking  the  meat,  build  the  fire  upon 
the  earth  floor  close  to  the  brick  wall,  suspend  by  four 
wires  a  piece  of  sheet-iron — a  section  of  flattened  stove- 
pipe will  answer — two  feet  square,  eighteen  inches  above 
the  fire.  The  object  of  this  is  to  spread  the  heat  over  a 
greater  surface,  and  not  allow  the  blaze  to  flash  up  to  the 
meat.  It  also  prevents  the  possibility  of  any  pieces  fall- 
ing directly  upon  the  fire.  When  not  in  use,  this  iron  screen 


Fig.  235.— HANGING  MEAT. 

is  unhooked  from  the  poles  above,  and  placed  in  one 
corner.  Figure  235  shows  the  method  of  hanging  the 
meat.  As  the  meat  must  be  carried  from  the  cellar  to  the 
smoke-house,  the  short  sticks  make  a  secure  handle  for 
the  purpose.  The  sticks  rest  upon  cross-pieces,  e,  e, 
placed  upon  the  plate  of  the  building.  Some  prefer  to 
use  iron  hooks,  bent  in  the  form  of  a  large  S,  as  shown 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  engraving,  while  by  driving 
a  spike  or  wooden  pin  in  the  edge  or  side  of  the  scant- 
ling, a  good  support  is  obtained,  figure  236.     With  a 


SLAUGHTERING   HOGS   AND   CURING   MEAT.  197 

little  more  expense,  a  convenieut  support  is  obtained,  so 
clearly  shown  in  the  upper  part  of  the  engraving,  as  to 
need  no  further  description.  In  hanging  up  heavy  pieces 
of  meat,  use  strips  of  new  or  strong  cloth,  two  inches  in 


Fig.  236.— MEAT  SUPPORTS. 

width.  A  miniature  wooden  chimney  should  be  placed 
at  the  top  of  the  building,  with  an  opening  in  the  roof 
for  ventilation,  when  required.  Smoke  from  cobs  or 
hickory  wood  imparts  the  best  flavor  to  meat.  The 
smoke-house  door  should,  for  convenience,  open  outward. 


CHEAP  TEMPORARY   SMOKE-HOUSE. 

For  those  who  have  only  the  hams  and  other  meats  from 
one  or  two  hogs  to  smoke,  a  practicable  smoke-house,  like 
that  shown  in  figure  237,  will  serve  the  purpose.  A  large 
barrel  or  good-sized  cask  should  be  used,  with  both  heads 
removed.     A  hole  about  a  foot  deep  is  dug  to  receive 


198 


FARM  APPLIANCES. 


it,  and  then  a  trench,  of  about  the  same  depth  and  about 
six  or  eight  feet  long,  leading  to  the  fire-place.  In  this 
trench  can  be  laid  old  stove  pipe,  and  the  ground  filled  in 
around  it.      What  it  is  desired  to  haye  smoked  is  sus- 


l\»\*wSJ^A?K'viS\\\a 


Fig,  237.— A  BABBEL  SMOKE  HOUSE. 


pended  in  the  barrel  and  the  lid  put  on,  but  putting 
pieces  under  it,  so  there  will  be  enough  draught  to  draw 
the  smoke  through.  By  having  the  fire  some  distance 
from  the  meat,  you  get  the  desired  amount  of  smoke,  and 
avoid  having  the  meat  heated. 


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